The Fire Connection
by XoCrazyWriterGirlXo
Summary: It had been a fire that had sent her to Beacon Hills when she was young, a fire that had made her want to leave, and a fire that was sending her back again. A new ally for our favorite pack is in town, but what's her connection to them and how can a human help in a wolf's war? Derek/OC
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:**_ All right, here we go. My very first fanfic ever. Please go easy on me. Critics are more than welcome but at least try to point out one thing you like if you're gonna rip me to shreds. As you'll read in my profile, I love _Teen Wolf _and Derek is my favorite character. And I am so upset with him as of Season 2, Episode 3 and I know I can't be the only one. So this story is starting during _Magic Bullet_ and will probably pretty much follow Season One with my own little twists thrown it. Anyway, without further ado; the first chapter of my very first fanfic ever. Please enjoy.! *cue the applause :)*_

**Disclaimer::**_ I do NOT own Teen Wolf. If I did, do you really think I'd be writing this story? And do you think Derek would be the bad guy? And do you think he'd ever have a shirt on (;)? And - I think you get the point._

**Chapter One:**

It all started with a fire.

A freak accident fire, but a fire none the less. Ross McCoy sighed, she was starting to see a pattern. It had been a fire that had sent her to Beacon Hills when she was young, a fire that had made her want to leave, and a fire that was sending her back again.

She slung her duffle bag over her shoulder and slammed the trunk of her car shut. An '09 Ford Mustang GT, black with gray racing stripes, like she'd always wanted. Her pride and joy.

About twenty-three steps later, Ross, her duffle bag, and her suitcase were standing on the front porch, waiting for the door to open. If it hadn't been for the other car in the driveway she would have thought no one was home.

"Ross!"

Ross smiled at the brown haired woman that opened the door. "Hey Melissa."

Melissa McCall pulled Ross into a hug. "Honey, we weren't expecting you until tonight." She grabbed Ross's suitcase. "Come in!"

Ross smiled as she followed Melissa into the house. "Is Scotty at school already?" Ross asked, tossing her bag on the couch.

"No and that reminds me." Melissa rushed to the stairs. "Scott, you're gonna be late!"

Footsteps thundered down the stairs. "I'm already late!" Scott cried, frantically searching the living room. "I'll never make it on time. Have you seen my sneakers?"

"They're next to the door and I'll take you."

Scott started at the sound of Ross's voice and spun around to face her with a huge grin. "Ross!" He cried, throwing his arms around her.

"Hey." Ross hugged him back before pushing him to arm's length. "I go away to college for a couple years and you grow so tall I can't ruffle your hair anymore? You're making me feel short, Scotty."

Scott grinned. "You can't call me Shorty anymore."

"No, I can't." Ross sighed with a smile.

"I'd hate to break you two up, but Scott's going to be late." Melissa pointed out.

"Right." Ross said, pulling her keys out of her pocket and dangling them in front of Schott. "You drive."

"Seriously?"

Ross nodded.

Scott snatched the keys. "Yes! You're the best big sister ever!"

**xXx**

Twenty minutes later Ross was pulling up to the woods. She turned off the engine and just sat there. Of all the meeting places they could have chosen, it had to be this one.

Gathering all her courage, Ross pulled the keys out of the ignition and stepped out of the car. The path was the same as she remembered it, full of trees and fallen leaves, long, and slightly creepy. And, at the end of that trail was an old, burned, pathetic looking house with broken windows. The Hale house.

Sucking in a breath, Ross opened the door and stepped inside. "Laura! Laura are you here?"

**xXx**

"She's back?"

"Yeah, she got here this morning."

Scott closed his locker and set off with Stiles towards their first class.

"Why? Isn't she going to some college in Vermont?"

"It caught fire."

"Fire?" Stiles sputtered. "Did she start it?"

Scott rolled his eyes. "No! She did not set it on fire."

"Who set what on fire?" Allison asked as she appeared at Scott's other side.

"Scott's sister set her college on fire." Stiles said, matter-o-factly.

"She did not!" Scott snapped.

"I didn't know you had a sister." Allison said, interlocking their fingers.

"Half sister." Scott replied. "Her name's Ross. She's six years older than me."

"Do I get to meet her?"

"If you want. She's dropping me off today to study… We are still studying, right?"

Alison smiled.

**xXx**

"Laura! If you're going to use your creepy ass, super wolf powers to scare me, hurry up and do it. I'm starving!"

Ross stopped to listen for a shuffle. Any kind of noise to indicate she wasn't alone. Nothing.

"Laura, I'm serious. You've got like ten seconds before I peel outta here for the diner!"

Still nothing.

"Laura?"

Not a single noise.

"Apparently you're not here." Ross muttered, then added slightly louder, "I'm leaving now!"

Ross sighed and started down the path again. She pulled out her phone and scrolled down to Laura's last text message.

_Heading back home. Could use your help. Come to my place if you decide to show up._

It was from several weeks ago. Ross had texted back, saying she'd come but it'd take awhile. Laura had gone silent after that.

Ross slammed her car door shut and leaned her head back against her seat. "Where are you Laura?"

She sighed and started the car. She'd come back later, right now it was breakfast time.

**xXx**

Scott was waiting in the parking lot when she pulled up. He smiled at her as she stepped out of the driver's seat, keys in hand.

"How was school?" Ross asked, walking around to the passenger seat.

Scott shrugged. "School. Stiles says hi, by the way."

"Stiles? You friends since you like eight? Huh, how is-"

She was cut off by a series of honking horns. Both she and Scott turned their attention to the blue jeep that had stopped in the middle of the parking lot. Ross's eyes zeroed in on the reason the jeep had stopped.

He was tall, with dark hair and pale skin. Ross couldn't see his eyes, but she didn't need to. She already knew they were a striking sea green. She knew him. He was Laura's little brother.

"No, no, no! Not hear!" Scott exclaimed softly, rushing towards the jeep.

"Derek?" Ross whispered.

She gasped as he collapsed backwards and took off after Scott.

"What are you doing here?" Scott hissed, kneeling in front of Derek.

"I was shot." Derek panted, sitting himself up.

"Yeah, he's not looking to good dude." Another teen, Ross recognized as Stiles Skilinski, said.

Stiles was right, Derek did not look good at all. His skin was overly pale and sweaty. And sure, Derek had slightly pale skin (so did Laura) but not _this_ pale by any means.

"Why aren't you healing?"

All eyes turned to Ross as she pushed past Stiles and dropped to her knees on Derek's other side.

He stared at her in surprise, his pretty green eyes taking in her appearance. The last time Derek had seen Ross they'd both been sixteen. Her straight, brown hair had fallen down to almost the middle of her back, she'd been shy, and only wore jeans and hoodies.

Now, here she was giving off a strong aura of confidence, her hair cut short and looked naturally curly so it fell to just over her shoulders. She wore dark blue jeans with holes in the knees and thighs and a crimson tank top that gave him a fair view of her nice chest area, under a black, leather jacket.

His black leather jacket.

"_You, Mr. Derek Hale are quite the charmer."_ Her voice echoed in his head.

"Ross?" He said softly.

Ross smiled gently.

"Hello!" Stiles exclaimed. He flinched lightly at the menacing look Derek sent him and nudged Scott.

"Why aren't you healing?" Scott repeated Ross's question while sending her a questioning look.

"It was a different kind of bullet." Derek replied, clutching his arm.

"A silver bullet?" Stiles asked, sounding excited.

Ross closed her eyes and shook her head as Derek hissed out, "No, you idiot!" between clenched teeth.

"That's what she meant when she said you had forty-eight hours." Scott said, almost to himself.

Derek's head jerked towards him. "What? Who?"

"The one that shot you."

Derek looked like he was about to reply but stopped himself groaning in pain. His eyes suddenly turned an electric blue. Ross quickly looked around to make sure no one would notice and saw a crowd beginning to gather. They had to get Derek out of there.

"What are you doing?" Scott hissed. "Stop that!"

"What's what I'm trying to tell you." Derek growled. "I can't."

"Derek, get up!" Scott ordered.

If looks could kill, Ross would've been short a little brother.

"Scott, Stiles, get him in that jeep, NOW!" Ross ordered.

She jumped up and flung open the passenger side door. Seconds later Scott was hauling Derek into the jeep and closing the door.

"I need you to find that bullet." Derek told Scott in a weak voice.

"Why should I help you?"

"Because I'm telling you to." Ross said, shoving her keys into Scott's hand. "And if that car comes back with so much as a single dirt speck on it, I'm gonna kick you ass!"

She crossed to the driver's side and slid into the middle seat beside Derek.

"You need me." She heard Derek say over Stiles's slamming door.

"Fine, okay. Stiles, get him out of here." Scott sighed.

"I hate you so much for this!" Stiles hissed.

As the school disappeared behind them, Ross glanced at Derek, who was leaning against the door with his eyes closed. She sighed and settled into the awkward silence.

**xXx**

"Sooo." Stiles said after about twenty minutes of complete silence. "Scott says you burned down your college."

Instinctively, Ross reached up and slapped the back of his head just like she used to do when they were younger. "I did not!"

"Ow! I was only teasing."

Ross rolled her eyes and tried to settle back in her seat.

"Nice jacket." She heard Derek say softly.

Ross looked at him with a smile. "Thanks I stole it off some guy a couple of years back. I think it looks better on me."

Derek opened an eye to look at her and snorted. "You might be right."

"Damnit!" Stiles exclaimed, slamming his phone down and gaining Ross's attention. He glanced towards the other tow. "Hey, try not to bleed out on my seats!" Ross looked over to find Derek had slipped off his jacket, his long sleeved shirt drenched in blood and a black substance. "We're almost there."

"Almost where?" Derek sighed, sounding exhausted.

"To your house." Stiles said in a "duh" tone.

"What?" Now Derek sounded confused and exhausted. "No. You can't take me there."

"I can't take you to your own house?"

"Not when I can't defend myself."

"Okay! That's it!" Stiles exclaimed, pulling over and turning off the car.

"Here we go." Ross murmured.

"What happens if Scott doesn't find your little "magic bullet", huh? Are you dying?"

"Not yet." Derek replied calmly. "I have a last resort."

"What last re-" Stiles's question died in his throat as Derek rolled up his sleeve.

Stiles immediately gagged and looked away while Ross crinkled her nose in disgust.

"Ew Derek." She said.

"Oh my God, what is that?" Stiles asked. "Is that contagious? You know what, you should probably just get out."

"Stiles." Ross hissed.

"Start the car. Now." Derek ordered.

"You know what? I don't think you should be barking orders with the way you look." Stiles snapped.

"Stiles." Ross set him a warning look. She was ignored.

"In fact, I bet I could drag you little werewolf ass into the middle of the street and leave you for dead!"

"Oooh no." Ross sighed.

"Start the car or I'm gonna rip your throat out." Derek's voice was low and threatening. "With my teeth."

Silence ensued and Stiles started the car. Ross couldn't stop the smile that lit up her face. "So sweet." She laughed softly to Derek. "Lemme see your arm."

Gently as she could, Ross pulled Derek's arm onto her lap and examined it. Not a through and through, the bullet was still in his arm.

"Do I wanna know who my little brother knows you?" She asked.

"Probably not."

"Is he-"

"Yes."

Ross unknowingly put pressure on Derek's arm, her thumb tightening over one of his enlarged, poison filled veins. Derek snapped his arm back, growling in pain.

"Sorry! I am so sorry!" Ross exclaimed, rubbing her temples and running a hand through her hair. "Derek, why did you come find Scott? Why didn't you go to Laura?"

Derek snapped his head around to look at her. "What?"

"Laura? You know, you're sister."

Derek continued to stare at her for a long minute; the longest minute of her life. "Laura's dead."

Ross's entire body went numb. "She's what?"

"You didn't know? I thought someone would've told you."

Ross quickly looked away from Derek as tears began to fill her eyes. "How?"

"I don't know. I think it was the Alpha." Derek's voice was softer than Stiles had ever heard it. "Could have been a hunter though. She was severed at the waist."

Ross sucked in a deep breath, closed her eyes, and tilted her head back. She would not cry. She would not cry. She would NOT cry.

_Shit, I'm crying._

She wiped a single tear way from her cheek as it trickled down towards her chin. She looked down at her leg as a sudden, warm pressure engulfed it. Derek had shifted his leg so it was leaning against hers. A small gesture of comfort, but a gesture none the less.

**xXx**

"What am I supposed to do with him?" Stiles whined into his phone.

There was a pause and Stiles sighed exasperatedly. "Fine whatever. And by the way, he's staring to smell."

Ross gave him a "are you trying to get your throat ripped out" look and Derek glared at him over Ross's head.

"Like death."

Derek's glare darkened.

"What about your boss." Stiles groaned again and handed his phone to Derek. "You're not gonna believe where he wants me to take you."

Ripping the phone away with his good arm, Derek pressed it to his ear. "Did you find it?" There was yet another pause. "If you don't find that bullet, I'm going to die."

Ross shuddered at the thought.

"Then think about this. The alpha called you out against your will. He's gonna do it again but this time its either kill with him or be killed. So if you want to stay alive, you're gonna need me. Find that bullet!"

He turned off the phone and tossed it back to Stiles.

**xXx**

"Okay, now what do we do?" Stiles asked, looking around the empty animal clinic.

"Now you go find me gauze and tweezers." Ross told Stiles. "And you," She togged on Derek's good arm, "get up and come with me."

Derek glared up at her and she rolled her eyes. "Don't give me that look. Get your ass up, _now_ Hale!"

Looking pained and annoyed, Derek heaved himself up and allowed Ross to lead him into the vet's work room, where Stiles was searching for the supplies.

"Found them!" He announced.

"Good set them on the table. Derek, take off your shirt."

Derek raised an eyebrow but obeyed the order. Ross almost immediately looked away, blushing lightly. It's been six years but Derek Hale was ripped as ever.

"Put your arm on the table." She told him.

Derek raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing?"

God his voice sounded weak. Ross picked up the tweezers and gently grabbed Derek's arm.

"This is going to hurt. Badly. If you wolf out and bite me, I sweat to God I'll beat your loving ass."

"Loving?"

"I say it instead of the "eff word". My college professor threatened to kick me out if he heard me say it one more time." Ross explained, dipping the tweezers into Derek's wound.

He flinched and tried to yank his arm back but Ross held him tightly. The tweezers closed around the bullet and Ross looked up at Derek.

"On three." Ross told him, gently. "Ready?"

Derek sucked in a breath and nodded.

"Okay." Ross tightened her grip on the tweezers. "Three!"

She torn the bullet out of Derek's arm and he threw his head back and roared, his canines extending and his eyes turning electric blue.

"What happened to one and two?" Derek snarled, his teeth and eyes going back to normal.

"You'd bee to tense if you knew it was coming."

Derek glared at her, still panting.

"Okay, so now what?" Stiles asked as Ross placed the gauze over Derek's bleeding arm.

"Scott hasn't texted you yet?" Ross asked.

Stiles shook his head and Derek turned around and began rummaging through drawers.

"What are you doing?" Ross asked, curiously.

"If Scott doesn't get back her in time, last resort." Derek said, breathlessly and pulling something out of the drawer.

"What is that?" Stiles asked, afraid for an answer.

"A buzz saw." Ross answered, afraid of her own answer.

"Last resort." Derek said, sliding the saw across the table to Stiles. "You're gonna cut off my arm."

Stiles and Ross's mouths fell open.

"Actually, now that I look at it, I don't think that looks like anything a couple of Advils and a good night's sleep couldn't cure." Stiles said, still staring at the saw.

"When the poison reaches my heart I'll die."

"Positivety just isn't in your vocabulary is it?"

Derek glared as he began wrapping blue elastic around his upper arm. Stiles glanced at the saw again.

"Look, I honestly don't know if I can do this."

"Why not?" Derek demanded, his voice muffled as he tied the elastic with his teeth.

"Well there's the cutting through the skin, the sawing through the bone and, mostly, the blood!"

"You faint at the sight of blood?" Derek asked, exasperatedly.

"No!" Stiles defended. "But I might at the sight of a chopped off arm!"

"What if you bleed to death?" Ross broke in.

"It'll heal if it works!"

Ross ran a hand through her hair in frustration.

"Look, I- I can't do this." Stiles sputtered.

"Okay." Derek said, calmly, "How about this. Either you cut off my arm or I'm gonna cut off your head."

"Derek!" Ross snapped.

"Oh I am so not buying your threats right no-"

Derek grabbed Stiles's shirt and dragged him to the middle of the table so they were face to face.

"Oh my God! Okay I'll do it!" Stiles cried, panicked. "Yeah, totally. I'll do it!"

Derek suddenly leaned away from him and vomited a black substance onto the floor.

"Holy God, what is that?" Stiles almost whined.

"It's my body." Derek gasped. "Its trying to heal itself."

"Its not doing a very good job." Ross said, looking away.

"You gotta do it now." Derek said, resting his sweaty forehead on the cold, steel table.

"Derek, I really don't think I can."

"Just do it!"

"Alright!" Stiles picked up the saw and placed it just under the elastic on Derek's arm. Ross covered her eyes and turned away. "Oh God! Here we go!"

Just as Stiles was about to turn it on they heard a call of "Stiles!"

"Scott?"

"What the hell are you doing?" Scott cried as he appeared in the doorway.

"Oh God." Stiles breathed, setting the saw down. "You just prevented a life time of nightmares."

"Did you get it?" Ross and Derek asked together.

In answer, Scott pulled a bullet out of his pocket and handed it to Derek. Derek let out a breath and let the bullet at eye level, staring at it.

"What are you gonna do with it?" Stiles asked.

"I'm gonna…" Derek trailed off and blinked several times, almost like he was lost.

"Derek?" Ross said gently.

"I'm gonna…"

The bullet slipped from Derek's grasp and he collapsed backwards. The bullet rolled under one of the tables and clattered down a crate in the floor.

"Derek!" Ross cried.

She and Stiles rushed to his side while Scott began to try and reach the bullet.

"Derek." Ross said, gently slapping his cheek. "Derek wake up!"

"Oh God!" Stiles cried. "Scott, I think he's dying. I think he's dead!"

"Shut up!" Ross snarled.

"I got it!" Scott cried, holding up the bullet.

"Oh God." Stiles said, pulling back his fist. "Please don't kill me for this."

He punched Derek hard in the jaw. Stiles cried out in pain and cradled his fist as Derek's eyes shot open.

"Gimme." He murmured.

Scott placed the bullet in Derek's hand and helped him to his feet. Derek bit the top off and began knocking a substance out. It was a powdery, almost grounded plant like substance and it emitted a blue smoke as Derek lit it on fire. He swept the ashes and pushed it into his wound.

Almost immediately, Derek let out an agonizing cry and fell back, his body jerking violently. Ross gasped as she detected a wolfish howl. Laura had once told her that for a werewolf to howl in human form meant they were in an unimaginable amount of pain. So much that they were paralyzed of any voluntary movement.

"Are you okay?" Ross asked once Derek had stopped screaming.

"Except for the agonizing pain." Derek snarled.

"Don't you give me your mother loving attitude, Derek! I just helped save your ass!" Ross snapped back.

Derek looked taken aback. "What happened to the shy, sixteen-year-old who back down from a fight."

"She learned to take care of herself. What happened to the sweet charmer that used to make me smile no matter what?"

"He grew up."

"Okay!" Scott broke in. "We helped you. Now you're going to leave us alone. And if you don't… I'm gonna go back to Allison's dad and I'm gonna tell him everything!"

"Who?" Ross asked.

"You're going to trust them?" Derek demanded.

"Why not?" Scott replied. "They're a lot freakin' nicer than you are!"

"I can show you exactly how nice they are."

"Who are we talking about?" Ross demanded.

"Allison. Scott's girlfriend." Stiles replied in a "duh" voice.

"You have a girlfriend?"

"An Argent!" Derek's voice was laced with venom. "He's dating an Argent!"

Ross gave Scott a long look before holding out her hand. "Gimme my keys." Scott did so and Ross held them out to Derek. "If you scratch my car, I'm gonna kick your ass. If you traumatize my little brother, I'm gonna kick your ass. If you-"

"I see the pattern. You're gonna kick my ass." Derek snapped, taking the keys.

Ross took a step closer and stared up into his eyes. "All the way to hell." Then she turned on her heel and started to the door. "Come on Stiles."

"Wha-"

"STILES!"

"Coming! I'm coming!"

**xXx**

The ride back to the McCall house was long and filled with questions from Stiles.

"How do you know Derek?"

"I was best friends with Laura."

"Is that how you know about werewolves?"

"Yes."

"And that's how you know Derek?"

"Yes."

"Was he always such a jerk?"

Ross's voice softened. "No."

She silently thanked God when her house came into view.

"How come he doesn't like the Argents?"

"Stiles! Enough with the questions."

"Just this last one." Stiles pleased, pulling up to the house.

"Good night Stiles." Ross sighed, slamming the door to the jeep behind her.

**xXx**

Scott and Derek didn't show up for over an hour. Scott didn't say a word, just climbed the stairs to his room, looking upset, and Derek stood just outside the threshold.

"You can come in." Ross told him, walking towards the door.

"I've gotta get home." Derek replied over the rumbling thunder.

"You're gonna stay in _that_ house during a storm?"

Derek shrugged. "Why not?"

Ross grabbed his arm before he could leave. She tugged him over the threshold. "Come on tough guy. You're staying here."

Derek rolled his eyes. "Ross-"

"Don't even try it Derek. You sleeping in that house in this weather will get you sick. Besides its late." She took Derek's hand and tugged towards the stairs. "And I-" She paused and stared into Derek's eyes. "I don't wanna be alone tonight."

Staring back into her honey brown eyes, Derek knew what she was actually saying. _"Pleased don't make me grieve alone."_

He sighed and let her pull him upstairs, into her room. He kicked off his shoes and shirt and Ross slipped into a too large t-shirt. They both slid into her bed and Ross rested her head on Derek's chest.

Derek had to admit, he was impressed. He never would've known Ross was crying if he hadn't been able to smell her tears.

**A/N:** _Did you like it? Review and let me know! Sorry if anyone seems OOC, I'm really trying. And what do you guys think of Ross? Let me know :)_


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:**_ All right, who saw the new episode of Teen Wolf last night! IT WAS AWESOME.! Derek wasn't a total jerk this time, which is good. But did anyone else completely freak out when he broke Isaac's arm *shudders*. Scary Derek! And Erica kissed him! How dare she put her hands on my OC's man.! Scott really ticked me off too. How could he just hang up on poor Stiles like that? And Stiles, does anyone else love him ten times more than Scott? Stiles is the most selfless person on that show. I mean, he floated in an eight foot pool holding Derek up for TWO HOURS with a homicidal creature stalking him. Talk about selfless… and brave. And does anyone else think that the lizard thing might be Jackson? I know they're hitting towards Lydia, but after Jackson picked up his truck in _Ice Pick_ I kind of started thinking it was him. Getting away from my ranting, thanks so much for all the reviews and sorry it took so long. I'm glad you guys have enjoyed it and I hope you like chapter two.! :) And, real quick, anything in italics and bold is a flashback._

**Disclaimer::**_ I do NOT own Teen Wolf. If I did, I wouldn't have to write this story because this is how it would happen.!_

**Chapter Two:**

_And we spent what little bit of money we had_

_On wintergreen Skoal and main street gas_

Ross groaned and blindly reached out, searching for her phone. Sure, when she couldn't find her phone, the upbeat, loud, and down right obnoxious ring tone was wonderful. But right now? When she was trying to sleep? Ha, worst decision ever!

_Go get your girl, go make the drag_

_If you're lucky you can take her cross the rail road tracks_

She finally found it, sitting on the nightstand beside her bed and opened a single eye to look at the caller ID. _**DAVIS**_ stood out in big, bold letters. She groaned.

_Where the man in the moon works his magic_

_On the second runner up of the 4H pageant_

_Seems like yesterday, even though_

_That was fourteen hundred and -_

Ross pushed the _reject_ button and took half a second to look at the clock on the phone. 2:32 a.m. She dropped the back on the stand and became suddenly aware of just how warm her blankets were. They'd never seemed that warm before and she snuggled back underneath them, ready to go back to sleep. … Until they moved. A warm pressure pressed against her back and something draped its arm over her waist.

In one, fluid movement, Ross snagged the bowie knife under her pillow, straddled the body beside her and held the knife to the person's throat.

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!" A cell phone illuminated the room and Ross found herself sitting on top of a sleepy, confused Derek Hale. He stared up at her, his eyebrow raised and Ross stared back, trying to control her heart rate.

After a second, Derek's eyes dropped to the knife at his throat, then jumped back to Ross's eyes, then to the knife, and then to Ross again. Ross pulled the knife away and rolled off Derek to lie beside him.

"Sorry." She said, breathlessly. "Sorry."

"If you wanted me to leave, you could have just said so."

Ross whacked him on the chest. "I don't want you to leave. You just scared me. I forgot you were here."

"And do you sleep with a knife under your pillow often?"

Ross sighed and dropped the knife to the floor beside her bed before rolling back onto the side and pulling the covers over her shoulders. "Go back to sleep."

"Am I gonna wake up tomorrow?"

"Good night Derek."

After a couple of seconds, Derek's phone was shut off and she felt him settling in beside her. He rolled over, tossing an arm over her side again and nuzzling his nose against her hair. Most people would have been a bit freaked out, seeing the big, bad Derek Hale cuddling with someone, but for Ross it wasn't uncommon. When Ross had shared a bed with Laura, she'd done the same thing. It was some kind of wolf thing, though the only did it to someone who wasn't their mate when they were to out of it to realize they were doing it.

Ross let herself relax against Derek's chest, feeling a soft rumble go through it as he snored. Not the annoying, wet snores but deep, solid snores that went all the way down to the bottom of his lungs and then back out. It was a kind of comforting sound. Derek was solid and warm and safe. It felt nice, to feel safe.

**xXx**

It was a little after eight the next time Ross woke up. She was still curled underneath a warm comforter and laying against the chest of Derek Hale, who was no longer snoring. She could feel his light breath on the back of her neck and feel his green eyes staring at the back of her head.

"Quit staring at me." She murmured. "It's loving creepy."

A soft, almost inaudible chuckle rumbled through Derek's chest and he rolled onto his back. Ross ran a hand through her hair and was slightly surprised to find she didn't really have bed-head. Of course, she hadn't been able to do as much rolling around with Derek on her other side. She sat up and glanced at her guest.

"Hungry?"

Derek shook his head, standing up. "I've got to go." He replied, reaching for his shirt.

"And do what?"

Derek simply gave her a look. It was the same look his older brother Jock would give Laura when he wanted them to bug off so he could be alone. Ross held her hands up defensively.

"Alright, alright. I'm not snooping." She rolled her eyes as he pulled on his sneakers. "Soo I'll see you later, saaaaaaay…" She paused to think, "Oh, two?"

Derek raised an eyebrow, silently asking why.

"Because I'm gonna be loving bored in this town all by myself and Scott isn't going to be around to entertain me, so you have to." Ross smiled when he glared at her. "Oh don't be such a sour wolf. I'm giving you a whole-" She paused to count out the hours on her fingers, "Six hours to yourself. You'll be fine."

Derek rolled his eyes again. "Yeah, sure, whatever." He sighed and turned to walk out her door.

"See you at two then." Ross grinned.

Derek paused in the doorway and half turned to face her. After a moment he nodded and began to saunter down the hallway. Ross took in a deep breath and flopped back on her bed. She was going out, on a kind of, sort of, almost date, with Derek Hale. Derek Hale, who she'd been crushing on since she'd first seen him in middle school. Derek Hale with the charming smile and the cool, bad boy, exterior. Derek Hale … Laura's little brother.

Grief hit Ross like a punch to the gut. Laura, her best friend who'd taken care of her since her first day of tenth grade, when Ross had barely been thirteen. Her eyes began filling up with tears that she'd desperately tried to keep down and she sniffled lightly.

"Damn." She hissed, angrily wiping the tears away.

She hated crying. Crying was for the weak and Ross wasn't weak, not anymore anyways.

Throwing the covers the rest of the way off, Ross snagged two towels off the back of her door and made her way into the bathroom. She put the water on to the warmest she could handle before stripping and stepping into the steady stream of water.

Then she cried. She cried like she hadn't in a long time. The shower was the place where she did that the most. Like Laura had always said; "It's a place to cry without being heard. It's a place to daydream without being disturbed. It's a place where you can think back on all your best memories and laugh without being looked at funny. It's a place you're not judged. It's a place where you can sing as loud as you want without being told to be quiet. It's where you can contemplate your life and think about your future. It's where you think about how to impress your crush. AND THEN you shampoo, condition, wash, and shave". Or at least that's what she'd tell her dad after he yelled at her for taking a forty-five minute shower.

And Ross did almost all of the above. First she cried for Laura, for the fact that she hadn't been there to save her friend. Then she thought back about all the things she and Laura had done at the old Hale house to get in trouble. The time they'd hotwired her father's car and the time they mattress slid down the stairs and Laura had completely wiped out. She laughed a lot upon remembering that. Then she stared singing "The Rodeo Song", which she and Laura would walk down the street singing.

"_It's an allamande left. And allamande right. C'mon you lovin' dummy. Get your right step right. Get offstage you goddamn goof. Y'know you piss me off. You loving jerk. You get on my nerves."_

Then she thought about college and how much it'd changed her. Derek had been right about what he'd said the previous night, a long time ago she wouldn't have stood up for herself when he snapped at her. And then Ross's mind went to Derek. Sure he'd changed a lot since she'd last seen him. Not only was he older, taller, and more buff, but there was something different in his eyes. He seemed like he was carrying the weight of the world on his poor, brooding shoulders.

_AND THEN_ she shampooed, conditioned, washed up with her lilac body wash, and shaved her legs. By the time Ross finally stepped out of the shower, the water was cold. She dried herself off and pulled on a pair of light blue jeans, a purple tank top, and her (Derek's) old leather jacket.

She ran a hand through her wet, stringy hair, contemplating whether or not to blow dry it. Eventually she decided on yes and, after every last string of hair was dry, she straightened her side bangs, pulled her hair back into a ponytail, grabbed her purse and her car keys and headed out to the mall. Usually she wouldn't be caught dead there but she'd promised her roommate, Natalie, she'd bring her back a souvenir.

Why exactly Natalie would want a souvenir from a place she'd never heard of before was beyond Ross, but she figured a t-shirt would do it.

**xXx**

"I can't believe I let you talk me into this." Allison groaned, following Lydia through the clothing store. "If my parents find out I am so dead."

"Oh they won't find out." Lydia said, pulling out a lacy, coral pink top and holding it up. She shook her head, deciding against it. "Besides, we need some girl time. You're constantly with Scott."

"Not that much." Allison defended.

"Oh please." Lydia said, flipping through the clothing rack. "You two are basically attached at the hip. And we'll be back by third period. I promise." She picked up a royal blue tank top with a silver jacket. "Now, what do you think of this?"

Allison took a long look at Lydia as she held the tank and jacket up before she smiled. "I think it looks great."

Lydia grinned, obviously proud of herself and hung the clothing over her arm. Allison smiled a little bit and began searching through the rack. She paused on a lavender tank top and stared at it closely before pulling it out.

"What do you think of this?"

"Oh, that color's great on you!" Lydia exclaimed cheerfully. "Now you're getting it."

She glanced over at a brunette with a ponytail, who'd just pulled out a peach t-shirt that said "I Heart California."

"Oh, that poor girl, no taste in style. Come on Allison, let's go do some charity work."

Allison followed Lydia's eyes. "Oh Lydia I don't-"

But the strawberry blonde had already taken off.

**xXx**

Ross growled in frustration, shoving the peach t-shirt back onto the rack. Peach would not go with Natalie's tan skin and black hair, but it was the only t-shirt in this stupid store that would accommodate her roommates huge… chest area. Rolling her eyes Ross took one last glance at the shirts before deciding that this store was for girls that had absolutely no boobs what-so-ever and turned to leave. That's when she came face to face with a strawberry blonde who, in her opinion, wore a little too much make-up.

"I am so glad you put that top back." The girl said, making Ross raise an eyebrow. "It wouldn't have gone with your eyes at all."

"Guess it's a good thing it wasn't for me then." Ross replied, trying to push past the girl.

"Oh? Well, I could help you find something for you if you wanted." The girl smiled.

Ross didn't like it. She had a feeling about this girl, a feeling she was stuck-up, rich, and generally the type that Laura used to beat up for making fun of her.

"No thanks."

"Oh I insist."

"Lydia." A dark haired girl appeared behind the strawberry blonde, "Leave her alone."

Ross smiled thankfully at her. But Lydia didn't seem to be giving up easily.

"Oh, but she needs our help. That leather jacket is absolutely hideous. It's so old and-"

"And a gift from someone I happen to care very much about." Ross snapped. "Don't you have school or something?"

Lydia glared at Ross, crossing her arms and looking annoyed. "I was just trying to help."

"Well why don't you go find someone who wants your help."

Lydia stomped her foot. Yep, definitely one of those girls. "Come on Allison." Lydia said, turning on her heel and storming away.

"Allison?" Ross asked. "Not the Allison that's dating my Scotty?"

Allison looked up at her. "Are you Ross, Scott's big sister?"

"Yeah. Yeah I am. Nice to meet you." Ross gave the girl a once over. "Well, you're pretty. I guess I approve."

Allison smiled. "Thanks."

"Allison!" Lydia cried. "We have to get back for third period!"

"Coming!" Allison turned back to Ross. "Sorry about her. She's kind of used to getting her own way."

"Yeah, I can tell. I'll see you around."

"Yeah. Nice meeting you."

Ross smiled after her. Seemed like she was a nice girl. Too bad she was an Argent.

**xXx**

Ross could feel it the second she stepped out of her car. Something was definitely off. She slid the monkshood tipped blade out of its sheath on her side and clutched it tight as she made her way through the woods. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary but her gut was telling her there was something wrong. And that was rule number one: always trust your gut.

She was almost to the porch when Derek came tearing out of the house looking sweaty, shirtless, and kind of, sort of, really attractive. His green eyes meet Ross's and dove at her, knocking her to the ground as gunfire erupted.

"Son of bitch!" Ross cried from her spot under Derek.

After a second the gunfire stopped and a female voice began yelling orders. Derek jumped up and grabbed Ross's wrist, pulling her up with him, just as the front door of his house burst open. The woman that stood there explained why Ross's gut had been going off.

"Kate Argent." Ross snarled.

Kate looked surprise. "I know you?"

"You should. I was the one who saved you ass."

Kate raised an eyebrow and even Derek looked confused. Ross smirked at her.

"You remember, right? After the fire, when Laura found out it was you and some of your little hunter buddies that lit her house on fire?"

"_**Laura, stop! You'll kill her!"**_

"_**I don't care!"**_

"_**I do!" Ross latched herself onto Laura's arm as she made to swing at Kate again. "There's more of her than there are of you. Laura they'll kill you!"**_

"_**I don't care!" Laura cried again, trying to shake Ross off of her.**_

"_**What about me?" Ross asked, clutching on harder. "What about Derek? If they go after you, you know they'll go after him too!"**_

_**Laura finally stopped struggling. She through a vicious glare down at Kate before breaking out of Ross's grip. "Fine." She said, throwing Ross a look. "For Derek." Then she looked back at Kate. "You stay the HELL away from my baby brother or I will rip your throat out… With my teeth."**_

"You're Laura's little friend." Kate finally said.

"Yeah. And I vaguely remember her telling you to stay away from Derek."

Kate laughed. "What's she gonna do? Huh? She's kind of dead."

"And I'm kind of not. So, as Laura's best friend, I have to fulfill her threats." Ross smirked in almost an evil manner. "So, let me make this as clear as possible." She took a step towards Kate, her hand still clutching the hidden blade in her jacket sleeve. "Stay away from Derek or I'm slit your throat."

Kate stared back at her, chuckling lightly. "You think you scare me?"

"I think I should. You really think I spent my time with Laura playing pathetic little games, Kate? No. She taught how to fight for myself. She taught how to take care of hunters. Does your brother know you broke his precious code? Does he Kate?" Ross laughed, humorlessly. "I bet that'd go over well."

Kate glared hard at her. "You wouldn't dare."

Ross gave her another smirk. "Try me."

"Boys." Kate said through gritted teeth. "We're leaving."

Ross's eyes trailed the three hunters as they made their away down the path and she smirked smugly as Kate tossed one last glare over her shoulder before disappearing from sight.

"What the hell was that?" Derek demanded, turning her around to face him.

"Me saving your ass for the second time since I got here. You're welcome, by the way."

"Are you crazy or just suicidal?"

Ross looked up at the sky, thoughtfully. "A little bit of both, I think. Now go change into something a little less-" Ross paused to look Derek up and down, happily taking in every muscular part of his body. "Sweaty and revealing."

Derek raised an eyebrow and Ross rolled her eyes.

"Come on Derek." She sighed, "Its quarter after two and you said we could go out. Let's go."

Derek glared at her but began walking back towards the house. Ross smiled to herself and followed him.

"I liked it better when I could boss you around." He murmured, making his way up the stairs. "And if I'm going on this stupid adventure, I'm driving… My car!"

Ross's smile widened.

**xXx**

"Turn up here."

Derek rolled his eyes for what felt like the hundredth time. "Why don't you just tell me where we're going?"

"Where's the fun in that?"

"Ross, we've been driving for almost two hours."

"I wanna surprise you. I know you love surprises."

"No I don't."

Ross giggled and leaned her head back against the seat. Silence settled over them again and, honestly, it was kind of annoying. She leaned forwards again and began flipping through radio stations.

"What are you doing?"

"Being loud and obnoxious." Ross said, winking at her driver.

"You hung out with my sister too much."

Ross smiled. "Yeah. Yeah I guess I did, huh?" She glanced over at Derek, turning the radio down to a dull humming once she'd found a station she liked. "Are you okay?"

Derek glanced at her and then back at the road. "Fine."

"You know." Ross brushed her bangs out of her eyes. "I might not be able to hear your heart beat, but I still know you're lying."

Derek spared her another look. "I'm fine." He repeated.

Ross nodded, looking out her window, but Derek still caught the soft "liar" she murmured in the process.

**xXx**

"No." He said, reaching to turn the engine back on. "No."

Ross reached over and snagged the keys out of the ignition. "Yes." She said, opening her door.

"Ross!" Derek lunged towards her, but she'd already stepped out of the car.

She smiled and waved at him before turning on her heels and walking towards the building. He followed quickly.

"Give me my keys." He ordered.

"No."

"Ross."

"Derek."

"Keys."

Ross turned around to face him. "Listen." She said, firmly. "I've been bored as hell all day long. We are going into that club and we are going to have a good time or I am going to kill you. Okay?"

As if to emphasis that she wasn't leaving, Ross dropped the keys down her bra. Derek's mouth fell open.

"Oh that's just not fair!"

Ross laughed and grabbed his hand, pulling him into the club. The music was in full swing and plenty of people were dancing. With a large smile, Ross pulled Derek all the way onto the dance floor. He did not look amused.

"Come on." She said. "When's the last time you actually had fun?" The music slowed to a tune that was familiar to Ross. She wrapped her arms around Derek's neck. "Just for a little bit. Then I'll get you the largest steak in the history of steaks."

Derek rolled his eyes but placed his arms around her waist none the less. "Better be the largest steak ever."

Ross smiled at him.

_I finally asked you to dance on the last slow song_

_Beneath that moon that was really a disco ball_

_I can still feel my head on your shoulder_

_And hoping that song would never be over_

_**Laura looked hesitantly at Ross. The younger girl smiled.**_

"_**Go." Ross urged her. "I'll be fine. It's just one song."**_

_**Still looking hesitant, Laura let Steven lead her onto the dance floor. Ross sighed and watched the other couples dance to the slow country song. It was only seconds later that someone softly tapped her leg.**_

"_**Hey." Ross smiled up at Derek and he returned it, holding out his hand.**_

"_**Come on." He said, nodding towards the dance floor.**_

"_**Derek, I-"**_

_**Derek grabbed her hand and pulled her up.**_

"_**Derek, I can't dance."**_

_**Derek only smiled softly at her. "That's why I lead." He replied, "Just put your arms around my neck. You can't dance wrong."**_

_**Ross did so and felt his arms snake around her waist. He winked at her and Ross smiled, blushing and looked away. After a few seconds she rested her head on his shoulder. She prayed to God this song would never end.**_

_I haven't seen you in ages_

_Sometimes I find myself wondering where you are_

_For me you'll always be eighteen_

_And beautiful_

_And dancing away with my heart_

_Nah nah nah nah_

_Nah nah nah nah_

_Nah nah nah nah_

_Away with my heart_

_Nah nah nah nah_

_Nah nah nah nah_

_Nah nah nah nah_

Ross smiled at Derek, pulling her arms away from his neck and resting them on his chest instead. He smiled back. The first genuine smile Ross had seen from him since she got back.

"I'm glad you came back." He told her. "It's nice to not be alone anymore. And I- I kind of, sort of missed you."

"I kind of, sort of missed you too." Ross said, standing on her tip-toes and placing a gentle kiss on his lips.

He surprised her by returning it, just as gently.

**A/N:** _I know, Derek was totally OOC in the last bit of it. Please don't kill me.! I'm really sorry if anyone else seemed OOC. Lydia and Kate are tricky to write and I didn't really like their characters anyways. Okay, that's a lie. Kate was a character that I loved to hate. Lydia, I don't particularly care for, but a part of me still wants her to go out with Stiles, just because he likes her so much. Anyways, read, review, tell me what you think. I hope you enjoyed and I'm sorry about the OOC moments:)_

_**Ross's Ringtone: **Beers Ago by Toby Keith_

_**The Song Ross and Derek Danced to:** Dancing Away With My Heart by Lady Antebellum_


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:**_ Wow, this update was much faster than the last one :) Okay, so this isn't _Teen Wolf_ related but still. Who else thinks _Magic Mike_ should get an award for casting alone? I mean, the only hot guy they've missed was our very own Tyler Hoechlin… Huh, I'm suddenly very upset with this movie. I'm fairly sure these men are going to be shirtless for over half the movie. Can you imagine Tyler Hoechlin shirtless for half a movie? I think I'd faint ;). _

**Disclaimer::**_ *Gives a Derek glare* Are you really gonna make me say it?_

**Chapter Three:**

Ross was not happy, at all. She glared down at the hot fudge bottle in her hand. She'd followed all the instructions. She'd heated it up for thirty seconds, lid off. Then she'd let it stand for one minute. So all she wanted to know was why the hell was the hot fudge coming out in lumps and not in nice streams like the bottle said it would.

"That looks like crap."

"Jesus!" Ross cried, spinning around to see Scott standing behind her. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack? And why didn't you call me back? We needed more hot fudge."

Scott glared at her. "My phone's broken."

"How'd that happen?"

"I got distracted." He hissed, placing the grocery bags on the table and storming upstairs.

Ross stared after him, wondering what on Earth that could mean before turning back to her destroyed sunday. It looked so sad with the little lumps of hot fudge on it. How dare the hot fudge bottle destroy her sunday!

"I make so much better looking sundays online." She pouted.

"How do you make a sunday online?"

Ross nearly jumped a foot in the air. "God!" She cried. "Is sneaking up on people some sort of werewolf sport or are you and Scott just trying to kill me?"

Derek smirked.

"God you're an ass!" Ross snapped, turning back to her sunday. "And my sunday is ruined. This is complete horse crap!"

"Its karma."

"Karma?"

"Yeah, Karma. You lied to me. That was not the largest steak ever."

Ross rolled her eyes. "Well that's not my fault."

Derek raised an eyebrow.

"Oh come on. You didn't think I was serious did you?"

Derek continued to stare at her, his eyes trailing her up and down slowly as he took in her "Daisy Duke" shorts and small black tank top. He licked his lips.

"Will you stop?" Ross snapped. "Steaks come from cows, right? I'll buy you a goddamned cow. Now, stop looking at me like you're gonna eat me." She paused, crinkling her nose. "God that sounded dirty."

"Okay." Derek said, finally tearing his eyes away from the tank top, which had rolled up to reveal a small space between Ross's waist band and belly button. "We've crossed a line."

"Prude."

Derek glared at her. Ross smiled, satisfied with herself, and picked up her bowl of a depressing attempt at a sunday. She grabbed Derek's hand and pulled him into the living room before sitting on the couch. He sat beside her and she draped her legs across his lap.

"So what'd you do Scott?" She asked, taking a bite of the ice cream.

Even that was depressing. It tasted nothing like the sundays she and Monica got at _Dairy Queen_ after every big test.

"What makes you think I did anything?"

Ross raised an eyebrow. "He's pissed. You're here seconds after him. Of course that might be because of his phone and – Oh my God, you didn't!"

Derek's eyes slowly left hers.

"Oh my God, you did." Ross shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Derek, he saved up for months for that phone."

"It was a distraction."

Ross put her bowl down. The "sunday" was really bringing her down. "It was a distraction or Allison was a distraction."

"The girl."

"So does that mean I'm a distraction?"

"Yep."

Ross's mouth fell open and she hit him hard on the arm. Well, at least it would have been hard to a human. Derek rolled his eyes.

"Well I didn't say I couldn't handle the distraction."

Ross's glare lightened slightly. "So what did you tell him to do about Allison?"

"I told him to stop seeing her."

"Think he can do it?"

"Nope."

Ross laughed lightly. "You staying over tonight?"

"I dunno."

"Well you should probably make up your mind now."

"Why?"

"Because Melissa asked me this morning if my booty call boy that snuck in through my window at two in the morning and left at six wanted to stay for dinner tonight."

Derek's eyes widened and Ross smirked.

"I-I." He stuttered.

Ross was surprised. Finally, something that could leave Derek Hale speechless! Before he could answer, the front door opened and Melissa entered the house. She looked surprised to see Derek.

"Should I count on four for dinner tonight?" She asked Ross. In turn, Ross looked at Derek.

"Um. Uh. I-um." Derek continued to stutter.

"T-t-today junior." Ross teased.

He glared at her and she giggled before looking at Melissa. "Sure Melissa."

Melissa smiled. "Four than."

**xXx**

Scott glanced from his sister, to Derek, to his sister, to his mother, and then back to his sister again. He was trying to hold in a smirk. This definitely beat the awkward dinner at Allison's. He glanced back at Ross and she looked up at him and smiled, clearly as amused as he was. They'd been silent since they sat down.

Scott was aware of the fact that Derek's leg was shaking under the table. He couldn't believe it, Derek Hale was nervous. As though Derek had read his mind, the older wolf glared at him and Scott quickly stopped smirking, looking away.

"So how was work?" Ross asked, laughing slightly at her little brother's reaction.

"It was work." Melissa replied. "And I won't be home for dinner tomorrow. I'm covering for another nurse in the long term care unit."

"Who?"

"Jennifer Scalone."

Ross stared at Melissa thoughtfully. "I know that name. Why do I know that name?"

"You've met her." Derek said, speaking for the first time since they sat down. "With Laura. She's Peter's nurse."

"Oh yeah. The blonde that was hitting on you the whole time we were there." Ross smiled at the memory. "We had to drag Laura out of that room before she killed her. I remember Jennifer."

"Who's Peter?" Melissa asked, looking curiously at them.

"My uncle." Derek said softly, the shaking his leg was doing intensifying slightly.

By now, Ross must have noticed it to because her right hand shot underneath the table and Derek's leg immediately stopped shaking. Scott stole a glance over at them and noticed Derek's left hand had also disappeared under the table.

"So Scotty and I are on our own for dinner tomorrow night, huh?" Ross turned her attention to Scott. "What are you cooking?"

"Me?" Scott asked incredulously. "I'm not cooking anything."

Ross glared at him. "Fine. You can go to Stiles to eat." The looked at Derek and smiled. "Where are you taking me to eat?"

He stared at her with a raised eyebrow. "No."

"Oh come on Derek."

"My wallet's still crying from the last time I took you out to eat."

"I'll pay."

Derek's eyebrow rose a little higher.

"Fine." Ross huffed. "Cereal it is."

"You gonna burn that too?" Scott asked.

Ross glared at him. "It was one time. By accident. I was eight. How was I supposed to know that I had to put milk in before I put it in the microwave?"

"You're the genius that skipped two grades in high school."

"You keep this up and I'm not letting you borrow my phone until you get a new one."

Scott had just opened his mouth to spit out a witty remark when Ross's cell phone interrupted him.

_Girl you make my speakers go BOOM BOOM_

_Dancing on the tailgate in the full moon_

Ross pulled her phone out of her pocket and looked at the caller ID. Davis again.

"You changed your ring tone." Scott said, shocked. "You never change your ring tone."

_That kinda thing makes a man go MHMMM_

_You looking so go-_

Ross pressed the reject button and rolled her eyes. "That's true, Scott. I change my ring tone ever once in a while."

"Is that a love song?" Scott pressed. "You changed your ring tone to a love song?"

Ross rolled her eyes again. "Scott-"

_Girl you make my speakers go BOOM BOOM_

_Dancing on the tailgate in the full moon_

Ross immediately pressed the reject button again.

"Who is it?" Melissa asked.

"No one." Ross replied. "I'm just gonna turn it off." Derek snatched the phone from her grip. "Hey! Derek, give that back."

His nose crinkled as he read the received call log. "Who's Davis?"

Ross snatched the phone back. "Give me that." She snarled.

"Davis? As in Davis the guy you dumped?" Scott piped up from across the table.

"Yes. The guy I dumped." She glared at him. "With a swift kick in the balls." She added in an undertone as she turned off the phone.

Derek raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything as she shoved the phone back in her pocket.

"Now." She said. "Back to the cereal issue-"

**xXx**

"You have no idea how hard it is to avoid people in our stupid school!"

Ross smirked and rolled her eyes. "Just hang low and don't talk to anyone but Stiles." She advised, flipping to the next page in her book.

"He's still mad at me."

"Did you apologize?"

"Like two million times."

"That many, huh?"

"Ross!" Scott sounded so pathetic Ross knew she had to help.

"Okay, okay, chill. Listen, just bait him in." Ross replied.

"How do I do that?"

"You know Stiles won't be able to resist if you tell him you asked Derek for help. He's Stiles. Then you tell him that Derek stayed for dinner last night, because you know he won't be able to resist asking how awkward that was." She stuck her tongue out at Derek as he threw her a glare from his seat beneath the window.

"And if that doesn't work?" Scott asked.

"It will." Ross insisted.

"If it doesn't?"

"Grovel."

"Don't use college words with me!"

Ross rolled her eyes. "Get down on your knees and beg him to talk to you." She sighed, crinkling her nose as she continued to read the book.

It was absolutely awful. Sure she could take a little bit of misconceptions but this was too much. The main character was whiney and pathetic, the love triangle was cliché, vampires did NOT exist, and the author couldn't even spell werewolf right.

"I am not getting down on my knees to beg for forgiveness!" Scott cried.

"Then deal with it." Ross said before ending the call and throwing Derek's phone on her bed. "God this book sucks."

"Then why are you reading it?" Derek replied.

"I dunno." She sighed, tossing the book on the floor. "So what are you doing today?"

Derek was silent for a couple of minutes, staring across the room at the door. Ross watched him for a minute before rolling her eyes and rolling over so she could stare at the ceiling.

"I'm going to see Peter."

That made her roll back over so she could look at him. "Why?"

Derek sighed. "I dunno. Maybe today will be the day."

Ross looked at him sadly. "Do you want me to come?"

Derek shook his head. "I think I have to do this alone."

"Okay." Ross said, standing up when he did. She placed a kiss on his cheek. "Just remember, I'm here if you need me."

He nodded and disappeared out the window. Ross rolled her eyes and leaned out the window as Derek jumped off the roof and walked to his car.

"You know I have a front door!" She called after him.

He just smirked.

**xXx**

"Hey." Scott said, sitting down behind Stiles.

Stiles ignored him, tapping his pencil on his desk like no one else existed.

"Listen, I know you're mad at me and I know I messed up. But you're dad's okay, right?" When Stiles didn't reply, Scott sighed. "How many times do I have to say I'm sorry?"

Stiles seemed to have mastered the "pretend like your best friend doesn't exist" mode.

"What if I told you I went to Derek for help?"

"If I were talking to you, I'd say you were an idiot for trusting him." Stiles replied shortly. "But obviously I'm not talking to you."

"_Tell him that Derek stayed for dinner last night, because you know he won't be able to resist asking how awkward that was."_

"Okay, well what if I told you Derek stayed at my house for dinner with my mom last night because he and my sister are dating?"

Stiles silently cursed. "That's not fair!" He cried. "You know I have to ask how awkward that was!"

Scott smiled, pleased with himself. "Now will you listen to me?"

"Fine." Stiles groaned.

"Thank you." Scott sighed. "I know that I should've helped your dad, okay? And I'm glad he's not hurt. But I had to make sure Allison was okay."

"Go figure." Stiles scoffed.

"Dude, I'm sorry, alright?"

Stiles tapped his pencil on the desk one more time before turning around. "So how awkward was that dinner?"

"The most awkward dinner I've ever had."

Stiles laughed. "I'll bet. So what did Derek say?"

**xXx**

"Why are you throwing lacrosse balls at Scott?" Ross asked, leaning her head against her headboard.

"Because I am a way better Yoda than Derek could ever hope to be." Stiles replied.

Ross chuckled softly. "I don't even wanna know. And I'll be a really good person and _not_ tell Derek you said that."

"Please don't."

Ross smiled. "So, please explain to me how throwing lacrosse balls at Scott is making you a good Yoda."

"Derek told him he had to tap into some primal, animal rage. So I'm pissing him off."

"And making yourself feel better?"

"And making myself feel better."

"So what happens if he wolfs out?"

Stiles paused. "Huh, I didn't think that far ahead."

"Of course you didn't." Ross sighed. "And what if this doesn't work?"

"I have another idea."

"Is it going to get Scott in trouble?"

"Possible."

"Is it going to cause him physical pain?"

"Oh hell yes!"

Ross laughed, shaking her head. "So did he grovel, like I told him to?"

"Grovel?"

"Beg for forgiveness."

Stiles paused again. "Well… sorta."

"He told you about dinner last night, didn't he?"

"Yep. So you and Derek, huh?"

"Shut up." Ross ordered. "Is he trying to stay away from Allison?"

"Oh it's pathetic."

Ross smirked. "Why does that not surprise me? I gotta go, try not to kill my baby brother, alright?"

"No promises."

Ross tossed Derek's phone on her bed and laughed. "Idiots!"

It was only seconds later that an unknown number called Derek's phone. Ross answered it, hesitantly. "Hello?"

"It's me." Derek said shortly. "Did Laura tell you why she came back to Beacon Hills?"

"No. She just said she could use my help with something, why?"

"Nothing. I gotta go."

"Wait, Derek!"

Her only response was the dial tone on the other end of the line.

"Ugh! Boys!"

**xXx**

The next few hours were long ones. With Melissa at work, Scott at work, and Derek doing God only knows what, Ross was completely alone and bored. She tried reading, but the girls in the books were all too much of an insult to the female race to keep reading. She tried watching TV but one could only laugh at pregnant teenagers for so long before they got over it. Eventually, she decided the mall was her only escape.

She went straight to the sporting goods store and began looking around. A good looking man in his twenties, that smelled way too strongly of _Axe_ appeared as she was looking at the bows.

"Can I help you find something?" He asked politely.

Ross shook her head, taking one of the crossbows off its shelf. "Nope. I got it."

"I don't know if you want that one. It's pretty hard to pull the thing that holds the string back."

"You mean the trickler?" Ross asked, taking hold of said object and pulling it back with ease until it clicked.

"The what?"

"The thing that holds the string back, it's called trickler." Ross rolled her eyes. "Let me guess, you belong in the lacrosse stick section."

The boy smiled, a very cocky smile. "So you've seen me in the lacrosse picture in the front of the store, huh?"

"No. You're just too stupid to work in this part."

The boy frowned and stalked off as Ross began searching for bolts (arrow-like projectiles for a crossbow). And older man, also wearing the store uniform appeared.

"You know about bows." It wasn't a question.

Ross spared him a glance. "Yes sir." She replied. "My friend's father knew all about them."

"I'm Mr. Ryan." He said, holding out a hand.

Ross excepted the hand with a smile. "Ross McCoy."

"You live in Beacon Hills, Miss McCoy?"

"Yes sir. Just a couple of blocks from here."

Mr. Ryan smiled. "Excellent. How would you like a job, Miss McCoy? I need someone who knows their bows and knives."

"How do you know I know about knives?"

Mr. Ryan's smile widened. "Do you know about knives?"

"Yes sir."

"Great. Can you start Monday at three?"

"Yes sir."

**xXx**

The rest of Ross's night consisted of her modifying her crossbow. She put in a kind of hinge system in so the limbs would pull in to hug stock so she could easily put the bow in a holster she'd made. Then she made a small quiver that would attach around her left arm that would hold the bolts. And then she began the real work.

She carefully pulled off the pointed tip of the each bolt and began pressing the monkshood she'd gotten into the tip before replacing it. That ended taking more time than reconstructing the bow, but now it'd be lethal to Kate Argent and the Alpha.

Ross glanced at the clock after placing the weapon and its ammunition in her closet. It was almost eight. Where the hell was Scott? Sure he'd said he had a date with Allison after work, but he would have at least come home to shower.

Snagging Derek's cell phone off the bed, she dialed her own number and waited for Scott to answer.

"Hello."

"Derek? Why do you have my phone?"

"Because your brother gave it to me."

"Where's Scott? Where are you?"

"At the school."

"Both of you."

"Yes."

Ross rolled her eyes at his short answers. "Whatever. Let me talk to Scott."

"He's not here."

"I thought you were both at the school."

"We are. But he's in the school and I'm in the parking lot."

"Why?"

"I don't know. He and Stiles went inside to do something."

"To do what?"

"Something stupid." Derek sighed.

The sudden sound of a cat being strangled erupted through the other end of the phone.

"You have got to be kidding me." She heard Derek moan.

"What are you doing? Assassinating some poor cat?"

"It's your brother."

"Well that's just sa-" Ross was cut off by a loud, ear splitting roar that she didn't need a cell phone to hear. "Holy crap! What's he trying to do, get the Sheriff over there? I can hear it all the way over here."

"What the hell was that?" She heard Derek snapped. "I'm going to kill you both."

"Derek, please don't kill my brother."

Derek ignored her. "What are you trying to do? Attract the entire state to the school?"

"I didn't know it was gonna be that loud." Scott defended.

"Yeah it was loud," Stiles said. Then he raised his voice to a childish note in a sing-song tone. "And it was awesome!"

"Shut up." Derek ordered.

"Don't be such a sour-wolf." Stiles said.

"Did you hear that?" Derek asked. "…Ross I'll call you back."

"What? No don't call me back!" Ross cried.

Again she was met with a dial tone and an awful feel settled deep in her gut. Ross cursed, grabbing her leather jacket and her crossbow on the way out the door. She had to get to that school. Her gut told her something was wrong and rule number one was always trust your gut.

**xXx**

The parking lot was empty when she pulled up. Only Derek and Stiles's cars sat in there, both empty. Her gut churned nervously as she stepped out of the car. She pulled the crossbow out of its holster, the limbs springing out just like she'd hoped it would, and then pulled out a flashlight that lit up a small area in front of her.

She glanced to her left and glanced to her right every ten seconds, looking around closely for a threat. And then something moved to her right. Flicking her flashlight that way, Ross's heart stopped. Derek had rolled himself onto his back, his shirt soaked in blood and a good amount of blood spilling over his lips.

"Derek!"

Ross had just started running towards him when a very large, black shape with glowing red eyes stepped in her path.

**A/N:** _And the plot thickens, dun, dun, dun! I couldn't help but throw in a small cliff hanger and I figured it was about time that Ross met the Alpha. And if I'm wrong on any of the crossbow stuff, I'm sorry. I got it off Wikipedia What did you think? R&R. Knowing whether or not you like it inspires me to write :) As always, sorry for any OOC moments. Hope you enjoyed :)_

_**Ross's New Ringtone: **Drunk on You by Luke Bryan _


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** _Thanks for all the reviews. I'm glad to know that you guys like this and I'm super glad you guys like Ross.! I was really nervous having an OC in my first story but it makes me feel good to know that my OC is well liked. So here's Chapter Four._

**Disclaimer::** _*sigh* I do no own Teen Wolf or any of its characters… as unfortunate as that is…_

**Chapter Four:**

Ross didn't move. She didn't breathe. She kept a tight grip on the crossbow, which was at her side, her finger putting a light pressure on the trigger. The Alpha stared at her, its red eyes piercing into her soul. It took a step towards her and she took a step back, neither of them breaking eye contact, both silently battling for dominance.

Then she blinked and the Alpha was gone. Ross turned her head to both sides, frantically seeking the creature that she knew was stalking her.

"Ross McCoy." The voice was deep, gravely, and reminded her of the Big Bad Wolf from _Little Red Riding Hood_.

"You know me." Ross said, doing everything in her power to keep her voice from shaking. "So how about you introduce yourself."

"You know me." He replied. "You know me rather well, actually."

"Funny, you don't sound familiar."

"You don't know what you are."

Ross snorted, trying her best to seem unafraid. "Yeah, actually I do."

She stiffened as she sensed someone behind her. "You try to hide behind a bad girl attitude. Cute. But we can both hear your heart pounding in your chest."

Ross spun on her heel, crossbow at the ready, only to find the space behind her completely empty.

"You don't know what you are." The Alpha hissed again.

"Yes I do. I'm tired, I'm cold, and I am _pissed off_!" Ross snarled. "Now quit being such a _coward_ and show yourself!"

"I need you." The Alpha's voice echoed around the parking lot. "So I'll spare you. And you know I won't kill your brother. He'll be part of my pack soon. Your little boyfriend however, is a different story."

Ross spun around to look at Derek. "Leave him out of this." Ross hissed. "I don't know who you are or what you want with me but Derek's not a threat to you."

"Not right now. But he's becoming increasingly inconvenient to me."

Blood red eyes were suddenly looming over Derek.

"No!" Ross screamed as the Alpha raised its large paw.

**xXx**

"The door's not going to keep it out." Stiles hissed, staring at the door and waiting for the Alpha to come charging through it.

"I know!" Scott growled.

"I hate your boss."

"What?"

"Deaton, the Alpha? Your boss." Stiles cried, pointing towards Scott angrily.

"No." Scott replied, shaking his head. He didn't believe it. He refused to believe it.

"Yes! Murdering psycho werewolf!" _**(1)**_

"That can't be!"

"Oh come on!" Stiles hissed, rolling his eyes. "He disappears and then that thing shows up ten seconds later to toss Derek twenty feet in the air?"

"It's not him." Scott said, desperately trying to convince himself as well as Stiles.

"You know what? Fine. It doesn't matter who it is! Whoever it is, it killed Derek. And we're next!"

"No, Derek's not dead. He can't be dead!"

"Blood spurted out of his mouth, okay?" Stiles cried, desperately trying not to yell to try and keep their position secured for now. "That doesn't qualify as a minor injury! He's dead and we're next!"

"Okay! Just…" Scott glanced up at Stiles. "What do we do?"

"We get to my jeep, we get out of here, and you seriously think about quitting your job. Good?"

Scott didn't even have time to reply. A blood curdling scream of "No!" cut through the air like a knife to soft butter. The two boys stared at each other, wide eyed.

"What was that?" Stiles asked in a small voice.

"Someone else is out there." Scott replied.

"Oh this day couldn't get any worse."

**xXx**

Derek landed with a hard thud beside her car, a soft groan escaping his lips. Ross's eyes were glued to him, her breathing labored, her eyes full of tears, and her heart pounding against her chest. The Alpha laughed.

"Pathetic isn't he?" The gravely voice asked.

Ross squeezed her eyes shut and tried to calm herself down.

"_Never let your opponent bait you, Ross."_ Laura's voice rang in her head. _"It gives them the upper hand. Always wait for them to make the first move."_

"We'll see each other soon, Rosaline."

Ross stiffened even more at the mention of her first name. She waited several seconds. No sound reached her ears and she decided she didn't care. If she didn't get to Derek soon, healing powers or not, he could bleed to death.

Ross sprinted across the parking lot and dropped to her knees beside Derek. His chest was rising and falling slowly, signaling he was at least alive. Ross looked around the parking lot, frantically searching for any sign of Scott and Stiles but there was nothing.

She knew the Alpha was telling the truth. He wouldn't hurt Scott and Scott wouldn't let him hurt Stiles. Right now she had to concentrate on Derek.

She wrenched the passenger side door of her Mustang open and lifted Derek into the car. It was a painfully slow process, Derek had a good hundred pounds on her, but she eventually managed it. After closing the door, she leaned against the car for a minute, trying to catch her breath.

Ross breathed deeply, trying to get her thoughts together. Where could she take him? Not her house. Sure Melissa wasn't home right now, but the woman had a bad habit of walking into Ross's bedroom without knocking. And she couldn't take him to the hospital. Derek would heal too fast, which would mean questions, and what was she supposed to say when they asked what happened; "Oh, that was the crazed Alpha werewolf out to kill us all". Ha, they'd commit her to the nuthouse without another word.

Derek's place was out too. Not with Argent sulking around.

"Okay, McCoy, think." Ross hissed to herself, running a hand through her face. "What would Derek? What would Laura do?"

_Find some place safe._ That's what Laura would say.

Well thank you Captain Obvious, but where would that safe place be.

_The Hide-Out._

Ross could have slapped herself. The Hide-Out. Of course!

She slammed the driver's side door shut and peeled out of the parking lot as fast as she could. It wasn't too far away. She could make sure Derek didn't bleed to death and still get back in time to help Scott and Stiles.

The Hide-Out was an old, rusty train car that was in the middle of the woods about a mile from the school. Ross and Laura had discovered it when they were in tenth grade (Ross – thirteen, Laura – fifteen) and turned it into a lovely hang out with the help of Laura's father and Uncle Peter. They'd dragged an old couch, two ugly armchairs, a card table with its chairs, an old futon mattress, and some other old furniture in to make it comfortable. Eventually it became a place for Laura and Ross to hide out when they were upset with their families. Hence the name The Hide-Out.

"Please hang on Derek." Ross whispered, glancing at her unconscious passenger. "Please."

It was the same as Ross remembered it; the door still wouldn't shut tight and still took what seemed like forever to open, it still smelled kind of musty, and all their old furniture was in there. She lit the old oil lamp that sat on the card table and turned up the flame so she'd be able to see before going back to the car.

Ross drove her car as close as she could before dragging Derek out of the car and onto the old mattress, where she laid him on his stomach. She pulled the knife from its holster on her side and cut the ruined remains of Derek's leather jacket and dark grey shirt off. Oh was he going to be pissed when he finally came to. Then she pulled a large first aid kit out of one of the cupboards on a night stand and began rummaging through it.

She pulled out all the gauze pads and ace bandages and threw them beside Derek before searching for the bottle of vodka (that Laura's father had surprisingly trusted them with), to clean Derek's wound with. The wound wasn't as bad as she'd thought it would be. By the looks of things it had already started healing, but it was still bad enough.

Derek whimpered slightly, turning his head to face the door of the train car, as she used a piece of his torn shirt to carefully clean off the blood off his back and the dirt out of his wound. Then she set about carefully placing the largest gauze pads over Derek's wound and using the ace bandages to hold them in place. Derek whimpered again as she tightened the last ace bandage around his torso and, to Ross's relief, he shifted himself slightly making it clear that the Alpha had not severed his spine like she'd feared.

Ross used another piece of Derek's shirt to clean off her bloody hands before throwing a blanket over him and collapsing on the floor next to the mattress. She should probably be rushing back to the school to help Scott but the adrenaline had worn off and all her muscles had shut down.

She wasn't sure how long she sat there, it didn't really seem like that long, before police sirens went rushing by somewhere on the main road.

_I can't exactly show up there with blood all over my seats._ Ross thought. _Oh damn, my seats! I just bought those covers._

Ross cast a glance at Derek, who was still out cold, before making her way back to her Mustang. To her relief, Derek's blood hadn't soaked into the seats yet. Just her seat covers had been ruined. She torn both of them out and hid them in the train car, knowing she had to go find Scott and Stiles. Ross took a moment to run a gentle hand through Derek's dark hair and place a kiss on his forehead.

"I'll be back." She whispered. "Just hang on."

**xXx**

There were several things that surprised Ross when she finally got back to the school. Firstly, Derek's car had vanished. _**(2)**_ Where it could have gone, she had absolutely no idea. She would have thought Stiles or Scott had driven it away but both boys were still at the school, talking to the Sheriff. Secondly, it turned out, Scott and Stiles weren't the only ones in the school. Allison, Lydia, and Lydia's boyfriend were also in the school. All the commotion was over by the time Ross got there and the five kids were all heading in different directions. Allison was the first one Ross saw.

She was standing on the sidewalk, hugging herself and looking absolutely terrified.

"Are you alright?" Ross asked, gently touching Allison's arm.

Allison stared up at her and Ross could have sworn she saw a flash of anger flicker through her eyes. "I'm fine."

Ross nodded slowly. "Good." She said, before spotting Scott and quickly walking towards him.

She threw her arms around him. "Thank God." She said, "Scotty are you okay? Is Stiles okay?"

Scott stared at her for a second before hesitantly speaking. "Please don't kill us."

"What? Scott why would I kill you?"

"Ross." Ross turned to see Sheriff Skilinski standing behind her. "I need to ask you something and I want an honest answer, okay?"

Ross looked at him quizzically but nodded.

"Do you know where Derek Hale is?"

Ross stared at him and glanced quickly at Scott. _Lie._ A voice in her head ordered. "No. He told me he was going to visit his uncle and I haven't seen or heard from him since. Why? What does Derek have to do with any of this?"

"According to eyewitness testimony, Derek Hale was the one who tried to kill your brother and his friends tonight."

Ross's heart stopped. "What?"

"Ross, I know you and Hale are close but I need you to promise me that if you see him or know where he is you'll call me."

"You're wrong. Derek would never-"

"I know this is hard, but Scott and Stiles saw him at the school Ross. It's been Hale all along, he's dangerous."

"You're wrong." Ross repeated. "Derek wouldn't hurt anyone. I mean, yeah sure he likes to pretend he's some tough guy but Derek – Derek is a good person."

The Sheriff's eyes flickered to Scott before returning to the distraught twenty-two-year-old in front of him. "Ross." He said slowly, "I need you to promise me, okay? Please." Ross looked into the Sheriff's eyes. "You might be right. This might all be one big case of mistaken identity, but I won't know that until I talk to Hale. Can you promise you'll call me?"

Ross took a deep breath and nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, I promise."

"Are you okay to drive Scott home?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I can take him home. Does Stiles need a ride, his jeep looks pretty banged up."

"If you don't mind giving him a ride."

"No, it's fine." Ross turned to the two boys behind her. "Come on, let's get you guys home."

Scott and Stiles nodded, slowly making their way to Ross car. She glanced back at the Sheriff one more time before heading to the car.

**xXx**

The first few minutes after leaving the school were silent. Neither of the boys dared to be the first one to speak and invoke Ross's wraith. Turned out that they didn't have to say anything.

"What in God's name were you two _idiots_ thinking?" Ross demanded, doing her best to keep her voice calm. "Of all the goddamned people to blame, you blame Derek – Mother Loving – Hale? He is going to kill both of you and I'm not going to stop him"

Scott and Stiles glanced at each other, silently arguing over who would speak.

"Well!" Ross snapped, "I'm waiting!"

Scott cursed in his head, knowing he'd lost the argument. "Ross, listen, we're sorry but Derek-Derek's dead."

"What?"

"The Alpha attacked him." Scott said, softly, "Ross there's no way he survived."

Ross's grip tightened on the steering wheel. "Derek is _not_ dead."

"Blood spurted out of his mouth, Ross, and he was thrown twenty feet. There's no way he's alive." Stiles spoke up.

Ross made a sharp right turn, onto a man-made path neither boy had noticed before. They both crashed into their doors, groaning at the pain in their shoulders.

"Jesus, Ross!" Scott cried, "Where are we going?"

Ross didn't answer, only continued to drive. Scott and Stiles exchanged glances.

"Ross." Stiles said slowly. "We're really sorry okay? Please stop driving like a maniac into the middle of nowhere. I'd really love to see my seventeenth birthday."

"Stiles." Scott groaned.

"What? I've seen this horror movie before!"

"Shut up." Ross snarled, slamming on the brakes. "And get out of the damned car."

The boys glanced at each other one more time before following her orders. They were definitely in the middle of nowhere. The only thing in sight for miles, apart from the trees, was an old, rusted train car. A dull, orange glow was peeking through the small opening between the door and wall of the car.

"Follow me." Ross ordered, slamming the driver's side door.

Scott and Stiles both felt their hope for living slipping away when they saw what was inside. A very alive, though unconscious, Derek Hale lying on a mattress inside the train car.

"Well." Stiles sighed, "We're dead."

Both boys jumped when Derek moved slightly, coughing. His eyes, which now looked more like a dull green, opened slightly.

"Rosie." He murmured, his horse voice barely audible.

Ross pushed past the boys to sit beside the mattress. She held his hand gently in one of hers and stroked the other through his short, black hair.

"I'm here Der." She whispered, kissing his forehead.

Derek slowly closed his eyes again, seemingly settling back in.

"Rosie?" Scott asked in a whisper. "He can call you Rosie? Ross, I'm not even allowed to call you that."

Ross rolled her eyes. "He normally doesn't call me that. And no, neither of you can call me that."

"Rosie?" Stiles asked in a soft voice. "How do you get Rosie from the name Ross?"

"My real name isn't Ross, dumb ass. It's Rosaline. But," She said quickly, when Stiles opened his mouth. "If you ever, and I mean _ever_, call me that I will kill you. Slowly and painfully."

Stiles's eyes widened and he nodded vigorously.

"Good." Ross glared at him before turning her attention back to Derek. "Listen, I can't leave him alone. Not tonight at least. Super fast healing or no, he could still bleed to death or his wound could get infected. I'll take you two home and then come back here. Scotty, listen, tell Melissa I'm out getting drunk with a friend in the next town over."

"What if she asks who the friend is?" Scott asked. "What if she wants to call you?"

"I have my phone." Ross replied. "Tell her to call me. Actually, no don't. I'll give you my friend's number. And I actually do have a friend the next town over, her name is Mandie Carter. Melissa knows her and Mandie's family was friends with the Hales, so I can tell her the truth. I'm going to call her and tell her to cover for me."

Scott nodded. "Okay, I got it."

"Good." Ross sighed and gently pulled her hand out of Derek's. He groaned and opened his eyes slowly. "It's okay Der. I'll be right back. I'm just gonna take the boys home."

Derek's eyes closed again.

"Let's go." Ross ordered, standing up. "We'll have to haul ass if we're gonna get there before Melissa."

**xXx**

By the time Ross got back, Derek had rolled himself onto his side so he was facing away from the door. Ross smiled softly at him, pulling her jacket off and sitting down beside the mattress. She could relax, for now. Mandie had agreed to cover for her and told Ross if she needed any help just to call. Mandie wasn't a wolf, but her mother and two older brothers were.

Laura had called it the "gene game" and she'd once heard Laura's older brother, Jock, refer to it as "the hit or miss gene". When a wolf mated with someone who wasn't a wolf there was a fifty-fifty percent chance that their kids would turn out wolves. Laura's oldest cousin, Quinton and her cousin, Lucy (who had been the same age) hadn't been wolves, but the two cousins in the middle, Amy and Terry, had been because their father was a wolf and their mother had been human.

Ross had just been about to drift off to sleep when she felt someone rub their thumb against her shoulder. Opening her eyes she saw that Derek had rolled over and had his hand outstretched so he could touch her.

"Hey." She said softly. "How are you?"

"Sore." His voice was still horse and quiet. "But I can feel it healing."

"Good." Ross sighed. "You had me scared to death."

"Sorry."

"It's okay." Ross slipped her hand into his.

They were silent for a few minutes, neither moving until Derek tugged gently on her hand.

"Come lay with me." He sounded so pitiful that Ross knew she couldn't resist.

"Okay." She said, carefully sliding in to bed beside him and laying her head on his arm.

He bent his arm slightly so he could run his hand through her hair.

"Go to sleep." Ross told him softly. "You need to rest and heal. The full moon's coming up soon and you need to be at full strength with that damned Alpha running around."

Derek stared in to her eyes for a second and nodded. He gently kissed her forehead before closing his eyes and murmured a soft. "I love you" before passing out again.

Ross stared at him for a long time, watching him sleep. She replayed his words in her head. _I love you_. He loved her. Derek Hale loved her. A small smile tugged at her lips. He loved her. They were in love. That was great! Right?

But if it was so great, why did she suddenly feel so nervous?

_**A/N:** Mini cliffy that will not be address until a later chapter, that is not the next one :) That goes for the question as to why exactly the Alpha needs Ross. Oooh I'm evil.! Does anyone have any ideas on why Ross would be so nervous or why the Alpha needs her? I'd love to hear your guess. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I know the end was kind of fluffy, but I just couldn't help myself. Incase you haven't figured it out. I'm kind of a hopeless romantic. As always, sorry for any unnecessary OOC moments and read & review, it gives me a reason to write.! :)_

_**(1)** Does anyone else absolutely love this line from Stiles? I mean it, when I watched this episode for the first time I literally wanted to cry because I thought my favorite character was dead. And then Stiles said that and I laughed for about five minutes. It's not so much the line, it's the way he said it. I know I can't be the only one._

_**(2)**__ I know that in the show, Derek's car is still in the parking lot but it always bugged me. The police would have impounded Derek's car as evidence (trust me, I take a Criminal Justice class (yes I'm in high school, but they have this thing in my school where you can take a college course as a high school course to help you get ahead in college).) and then two episodes later, in _Wolf's Bane_ Scott and Stiles are driving the car. It would have taken a lot to get out of impound and then the police would have a BOLO (Be On LookOut) out on the car and Stiles, being the son of a the Sheriff, would not have been stupid enough to go driving around in that car incase the cops somehow pulled them over. - that completes my "the writers clearly did _not_ do their research before writing this (even though I won't complain after this because this show kicks ass)" rant. Thank you for your attention, you may now applaud :)_

_Now, in all seriousness, R&R. I love you guys :)_


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** _Its been far too long.! Sorry, my dad's been in and out of the hospital and I've been freaking out. But hey, guess who has two thumbs and was absolutely correct on her guess of who the Kanima was… THIS GIRL :D. I am genius ;) Just kidding. Anyways, I decided to skip the episode _Lunatic_ because I just didn't know what to write for that episode and I figured the chapter would be boring. So this will follow along the episode Wolf's Bane. Now, on with Chapter Five!_

**Disclaimer::** _-_- I don't want to have to say it again, because it depresses me each time I say it, but "I don't own _Teen Wolf_ or any of its characters". There I said it -_-… Oh, last second thought, I do not own_ Drunk on You_ by Luke Bryan or any other songs that have and/or will appear in this story._

**Chapter Five:**

"Sooooo are you still not talking to me?"

Ross's eyes flickered to the rear view mirror and pressed her foot down on the gas a little harder, completely ignoring Scott's question.

"Oh my God!" Stiles cried as they flew around the nearest curve and almost went off the road.

"Come on Ross, it's been like two days." Scott whined. "Can't we just forget it?"

Ross's glare rivaled that of Derek's. "Forget it? Forget it?" She demanded. "You made my boyfriend the most wanted fugitive in the entire state!"

"And I said I was sorry."

Scott and Stiles were thrown back in their seats as Ross put more pressure down on the gas.

"Holy God!" Stiles grabbed onto the handle above his head and closed his eyes.

"Sorry doesn't make it any better Scott! I wanted a normal relationship! I wanted to be able to make Derek take me to sappy movies and buy me nice things. But he can't! I can't even go to the park for a nice picnic! Not to mention the fact that if Derek gets caught, the cops will lock him up in a cell and the Argents will somehow find a way to sneak in there and KILL HIM!"

"I think it was better when she wasn't talking to you." Stiles whispered.

"I heard that!" Ross snapped.

"Sorry!"

"Ross." Scott whined. "I said I was sorry like a million times. What do you want me to do?"

"Grovel." Ross murmured.

"I've tried that!"

"Um guys…" Stiles murmured.

"Well then you're screwed because I am pissed!" Ross snarled.

"Guys…"

"It's not like I can go into the police station and tell them I lied! Do you know how much trouble I could get it? How much trouble Stiles could get it?" Scott exclaimed.

"GUYS!"

"What?" Ross and Scott snapped together.

"Kate's not following us, anymore."

Scott turned around to check and Ross's eyes immediately shot to the rear view mirror. She let out a sigh of relief upon not seeing Kate's vehicle speeding along behind them.

"Now we need to find Derek." She sighed.

"_All units, suspect is on foot, heading into the ironworks."_

"Found him." Stiles said, "Turn up here."

"I know how to get there Stiles."

Ross turned hard, following the sound of gunfire. Derek was pressed behind a large object, hiding from the gunfire coming from Chris Argent. Scott threw open the passenger door, yelling for Derek to get in before climbing over the passenger seat to dive in beside Stiles. Derek did as he was told, throwing himself into the vehicle and slamming the door shut. Ross barely managed to take off before gunfire erupted in the spot they'd been parked.

"Damn it!" Derek cried, slamming his fist on the dashboard before Ross could ask if he was alright. "I had him!"

"Who?" Stiles asked, leaning forwards. "The Alpha?"

"Yes the Alpha!" Derek snarled. "Then the frickin' cops showed up."

Well, he was definitely pissed.

"Hey, they're just doing their job." Stiles defended meekly, leaning away when Derek glared at him.

"Yeah." Derek said, his angry glare shifting from Stiles to Scott. "Thanks to someone who decided to make me the most wanted fugitive in the ENTIRE STATE!"

"Okay, I get it!" Scott exclaimed. "I made a dumbass mistake. Now can we please get pass that?"

Derek's glare darkened. Ross glanced at them and rolled her eyes.

"Alright, so how'd you find him?" She asked impatiently.

Derek slowly turned to glance at Ross. "Last time I talked to Laura she was looking into a guy named Harris."

Ross raised an eyebrow at him and Stiles shot forward in his seat again. "Our chemistry teacher?" He asked.

Derek gave him a quizzical look. "What?"

Ross shook her head. "You wouldn't have had him." She told him. "You should have, but with that whole out for two months and the Biology teacher's a dick so you had to repeat that class thing... Harris is a real jackass, he always picks out one student to be an extra big ass to. If Laura went looking for him, he definitely knows something."

"Let me guess." Stiles said, hearing her bitter undertone. "You were that one student."

Ross laughed and Derek smirked ever so slightly.

"Ha. As if anyone, even the teachers, were dumb enough to be mean to Laura Hale's best friend." Ross snorted. "No, he picked on a kid named Spencer… You actually kind of remind me of him Stiles." She glanced back at Derek, becoming serious again. "Anything else?"

Derek nodded, pulling a piece of paper out of his jacket pocket. "He gave her this."

The other three leaned in to look. Scott almost immediately groaned, falling back in his seat while Ross stared at it closely.

"I've seen this somewhere before." She said, looking at Scott in the rearview mirror. "And something tells me you have too."

Scott nodded. "That's Allison's necklace." He moaned.

Ross and Derek glanced at each other.

"You need to get that necklace." Derek told him.

Scott looked at him incredulously. "How the hell am I supposed to do that?"

"Steal it." Derek and Ross said together.

"How? She always has it on her."

Ross raised an eyebrow. "I bet that's not true. I don't wear a lot of jewelry, but most normal people take their jewelry off to shower."

"You want me to break into a house of hunters to steal a necklace?"

Ross shrugged. "Yeah."

"And what if I get caught? I could get sent to jail for that."

"It's only juvy. And it'd be your first offense. They'd let you off with house arrest or something."

Scott's mouth fell open. "Are you really that pissed at me?"

"Oh yeah."

Scott looked at Stiles for support but Stile simply shook his head. Best friend or not, there was no way in _hell_ Stiles was going to face the fury of Ross McCoy when he didn't have to.

_Girl you make my speakers go BOOM BOOM_

_Standing of the tailgate in the full moon_

Scott pulled Ross's phone out of his pocket and looked at the caller ID. Then he looked up and found himself staring at his sister's chocolate brown eyes in the rearview mirror.

_That kind of thing makes a man go Mhmmm_

_You're looking so good in what's left of those blue jeans_

"Reject it. _Now_." Ross ordered sharply.

"Who is it?" Stiles asked, leaning over to check the caller ID.

_Drip of honey on the money maker gotta be_

_The best buzz I'm ever gonna find_

"Who's Davis?" Stiles asked, glancing at Ross

"_Scott_!"

_I'm a little –_

The music stopped as Scott hit the reject button, still staring at Ross. She glared back, looking ready to kill.

"Who's Davis?" Derek repeated Stiles's question.

"No one." Ross replied, looking back at the road.

"Obviously not if he's calling your phone none stop."

"He's no one." Ross repeated sharply.

Derek glared, then turned his attention to Scott. "Who's Davis?"

Scott looked nervously between Derek and Ross, both of whom were glaring at him.

"If I wanted you to know I would tell you." Ross hissed.

Derek ignored her, continuing to glare hard at Scott.

"He's-" Scott started only to be cut off by Ross

"Shut it Scott!"

Derek finally turned his attention back to Ross. "Who is he?"

"Why the hell do you care?"

"Gee, I don't know. Maybe because he's calling you every five minutes! I'd love to know who's stalking my girlfriend!"

"He's no one."

"Then why is your heart rate speeding up like you're scared of him?"

Ross turned hard into the road to the Hide-Out and slammed on the brakes once she was far enough in. "I. Am. Not. Afraid. Of. Him." Ross spat out between clenched teeth.

"Now you're lying."

"Stop that!"

"Scott, who's Davis?"

"Scotty, don't you dare!"

"Who are you more afraid of Scott, her or me?"

Scott glanced back and forth between the two of them. That was a very good question. Derek could easily rip his throat out and Ross could easily kick his… Oh, wait. No she couldn't. He was a werewolf now. Super werewolf strength. So really the only one able to kick his ass was Derek.

"Her ex-boyfriend." Scott finally muttered.

Ross's glare darkened.

"And she afraid of him because?" Derek trailed off, letting Scott know it was a question that needed to be answered that second.

"Scott." Ross growled.

"He used to slap her around." Scott immediately averted his eyes as Ross glared hard at him.

Derek's gaze shot to Ross, his anger melting away. Ross's anger, however, sky rocketed.

"I can not believe you just…" He rant was cut off as her cell phone began ringing again.

_Girl you make my speakers go BOOM BOOM_

_Standing of the tailgate in the full moon_

Scott was barely able to catch a glimpse of _**Davis**_flashing across the caller ID before it was ripped out of his hands by Derek. The wolf inside Derek was ready to kill, but this would be the next best thing.

"Derek don't you-"

He ignored Ross and accepted the call.

"_Where the hell have you been and why haven't you been answering my calls?"_ An obnoxious male voice shouted. _"When I get my hands on you-"_

Now the wolf inside him was really ready to kill. How dare someone threaten his girl!

"Listen to me." Derek growled, his tone low and threatening. "If you ever come near Ross again, call her, hell even think about calling her I will hunt you down and rip your throat out with my teeth!"

The heart rate on the other end of the line sped up but even that wasn't satisfied, especially when Davis tried to be brave.

"_And who the hell do you think _you _are?"_ The human demanded.

"Her boyfriend." Derek snarled in his most vicious tone, ending the phone call and throwing the phone back to Scott.

The car was silent. The only thing he could hear was Ross's heart beat, which was still fast but slower than it had been when he'd answered the call.

"Get out and go home." Derek ordered, glaring at Scott and Stiles. "Now!" He snapped when they didn't move.

He waited until the boys scrambled out of the car, got into Stiles's jeep, and drove off to look back at Ross. The car was quiet again, Ross's heart rate still too fast for his liking.

"I can take care of myself." She told him, trying to be strong.

Her voice, on the other hand, told him she was ready to break.

"Never said you couldn't."

"Then why did you do that?"

"He hurt you and you're afraid of him."

Ross glanced at him, eyes filled with tears. "I could have handled it."

"Is this it?" Derek's voice softened as he cocked his head to the side. "Is this why you've changed so much?"

"Why? Did you like the other me better?"

"I didn't say that." Derek replied quickly.

"Then why is it such a big deal?" Ross cried. "Why couldn't you just leave it?"

"Are you really going to make me say it?" Derek's voice rose slightly.

"Say what?" Ross demanded, her voice rising to.

"That I love you!"

Ross looked away, a few tears falling down her face.

"I do." Derek said. "And it's hard for me to say because I'm an ass and I'm broody and I'm emotional stunted or whatever the hell Stiles calls it but I do love you! And the thought of someone doing that brings out my protective instincts and I can't help that." He paused and Ross stayed silent. "You're not going to say anything."

"What do you want me to say?" Ross replied. "I want to love you. I think that I do. But I'm scared. It's stupid and maybe even a little pathetic, but I've watched my father's relationships fall apart and I've seen mine and I-I'm scared. And I don't know what to do."

Derek brushed away one of her tears and kissed her forehead. "Let me take care of you."

Ross looked at him, taking a deep breath. Finally, slowly, she leaned in and kissed his lips. Softly at first, but then more hungrily. The next thing she knew she was dragging Derek out of his car and into the Hide-Out.

**xXx**

"You're getting in late. Or early, I guess." Melissa commented as Ross walked into the house at about quarter to seven the next morning.

Ross shrugged. "I went see Mandie."

"Again?"

"It's been a long last couple of days." Ross sighed, collapsing on the couch.

Melissa sat down on the coffee table in front of her. "How are you doing?"

"I'm okay."

Melissa took her hand gently. "Are you sure? This can't be easy."

"It's not. But I'm tougher than I used to be. I'll be fine. And you're gonna be late. I'll make sure Scott's up for school."

"You sure?"

Ross nodded. "Yeah. I'll get him to school and then I'm going to come back and go to sleep. And then get ready for work."

"Okay, well you know where I am if you need me. Call if you don't want to be alone, okay. I'll come home."

"Yeah, thanks."

Ross climbed the stairs and walked into Scott's room after Melissa left. She kicked his foot and he opened one eye to look at her. "Get up, it's time for school."

Scott groaned but threw the blankets back. He crinkled his nose and looked up at his sister. "Have you showered today?"

Ross blinked and raised an eyebrow. "No, why?"

"You smell funny."

Ross pulled at her shirt and sniffed. She didn't smell anything out of the ordinary. "What do I smell like to make me smell funny."

"You smell like Derek."

"Well duh."

Scott rolled his eyes. "I wasn't finished." He said impatiently. "You also smell like… like… I don't really know how to describe it. It's just funny."

Ross rolled her eyes. "I'll make sure to shower as soon as I get you to school, now come on. I told Melissa that I'd get you to school on time. Hustle!"

**xXx**

"Why don't we just use the front door?" Ross asked as Derek pulled her onto the roof outside Stiles's room.

"The Sheriff's home." Derek replied in a hushed toned.

"Well why don't you just text Stiles and ask him to meet us somewhere else? Especially since you have blood on your shirt." Ross asked as Derek slid open the window and slipped inside.

"Already here. And I didn't know there was blood on it when I put it on this morning. Let it go." Derek replied.

Ross rolled her eyes and followed him in. He quickly pulled her over, slightly behind the door as footsteps stormed up the stairs. Stiles threw his bag on the floor, dropping into his computer chair.

"Stiles!" The Sheriff called almost immediately afterwards.

Stiles spun around in his chair to look at the door. "Yo, D-Derek?"

Ross covered her eyes with her hand and Derek put a finger to his lips, jabbing a finger at the door. Stiles leaped up and ran to the door, closing it halfway behind him. Ross rolled her eyes to Derek and giggled when he mouthed _"Moron"_ to her.

Stiles closed the door and leaned against it in relief. Almost immediately, Derek grabbed the front of his shirt, threateningly.

"You say one word." The wolf said, pointing a finger in Stiles's face.

"What, you mean like "Hey Dad, Derek Hale's in my room… Bring your gun."?" Stiles replied.

Derek's grip slackened and Ross silently gave the younger man credit. That was one way to stop Derek's threats.

"That's right. If I'm harboring your fugitive ass it's my house, my rules buddy." Stiles said confidently, gently tapping Derek's arm.

Derek looked at the arm Derek had just hit and then looked back at Stiles for a long moment. Finally he nodded, leaning back and straightening Stiles jacket before releasing him. Stiles laughed nervously, straightening Derek's jacket in return before walking towards the computer desk. As he walked by, Derek snapped towards him slightly and Stiles reared back.

"Oh my God." He breathed.

Ross snickered lightly and collapsed backwards on Stiles's bed.

"So what's going on?" She asked, as the slamming door from downstairs announced the Sheriff's departure.

"Did Scott get the necklace?" Derek asked immediately afterwards.

"No, he's still working on that but I've got another idea?"

"Which is?" Derek raised an eyebrow.

_She's a Saturn with a sunroof_

_With her brown hair a-blowing_

Ross pulled Derek's phone out of her pocket and Stiles looked at Derek with a raised eyebrow.

"Brad Paisley? Really?"

_She's a soft place to land_

_And a good felling knowing_

_She's a warm conversation_

Derek glared hard at him as Ross raised an eyebrow at the caller ID. It read _**Scott**_.

_That I wouldn't miss for nothing_

_She's a fighter when she' mad_

_She's a lover when -_

"Scotty?" She asked in surprise.

"Yeah?"

"Why are you calling on your phone? I thought it was broken."

"I just picked up my new one. I'll give you yours when I get home. Anyways, you're boss called a little while ago."

Ross looked at the alarm clock beside Stiles's bed. _**3:24**_.

"Crap! I'm late!" She cried.

"No you're not. That's what I'm calling about. They don't need you to start until tomorrow."

Ross breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank God. Did you get the necklace yet?"

"No. I'm working on it! Good-bye!"

Ross rolled her eyes and hung up. "No." She said before Derek could ask. "He doesn't have it yet. He's working on it. And." She turned to Stiles. "I set that ring tone thank you very much. It's the song we danced to at prom."

"You guys went to prom toge-"

"Stiles!" Derek snapped. "Your idea."

"Right, sorry. Anyways, when we were at the school Allison got a text from Scott saying to meet us there."

"So?"

"So, it wasn't from Scott."

Derek and Ross exchanged a look.

"Can you figure out who sent it?" Ross asked.

"No. But I know someone who can." Stiles said with a grin. "He'll be here in a couple of minutes."

Ross glanced at Derek again. "Well then I guess I better find you a shirt _without _blood on it."

Derek glared at her.

"Yeah, you probably should." Stiles said, noticing it for the first time.

Derek's glare shifted to him and Ross smirked. "I'll be back." She announced, walking towards the door. She paused suddenly and turned around to look at Derek.

"Hey, before I forget… Do I smell funny?"

"What?" He asked.

"Scott told me this morning that I smelled funny and I was just wondering if I still smelled funny and what are you smirking at?"

Derek wasn't so much smirking as he was smiling in amusement and not the kind where he'd just injured someone. Stiles was surprised, he didn't know Derek was capable of such a thing.

"You know the expression "you stink like sex"?" Derek asked.

Ross nodded and Derek smiled a little bigger.

"Well, Ross, you literally stink like sex."

"Oh God!" Stiles exclaimed while Ross's mouth fell open.

"Oh my God! That is so embarrassing!" She cried.

**A/N:**_ I know, I know, super big OOC moment for Derek in the beginning but I couldn't help it and there is a story behind it. Ross is based on my best friend, Tori, abusive relationship and all, and she's currently dating a guy just like Derek, all broody and emotionally stunted, (which is part of the reason Tori and I love Derek so much) and he's protective. I mean SUPER protective. And the second he found out about Tori's ex-boyfriend, he acted just like I Derek act in this chapter. So that's the story behind that OOC moment from Derek. So please don't hate me for that, but (especially after the way Alex, Tori's boyfriend, acts) I believe that even emotionally stunted people are open and out of character for the people that they love. Anyways, sorry for any other OOC moments and sorry that this chapter took so long. Hopefully the next chapter will be faster. R&R, it inspires me.! :)_

_**Ross's Ring Tone: **__Drunk On You_ by Luke Bryan

_**Derek's Ring Tone:**__ She's Everything _by Brad Paisley (which, fyi, is Alex's ring tone :))


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** _Soo, the gay bar episode… not what I was expecting. Just so everyone knows, I've recently become a Sterek fan. I know, I know, kind of surprising. But after you read all those really great Sterek fics, you kind of have to become a fan, am I right. Therefore, I was kind of disappointed. I mean, I wasn't expecting them to proclaim their love for each other or anything (since Sterek is noncannon) but a little bit of teasing would have been nice.! Anyways, on with the next chapter and, as always, please enjoy :)_

**Disclaimer::** _Please see previous chapters because I'm tired of typing it..._

**Chapter Six:**

"You want me to do what?" Danny asked, incredulously.

"Trace a text." Stiles answered.

"What? What makes you think I could do that anyway?"

Stiles shot him a guilty look. "I looked up your arrest report."

"What?" Danny look very agitated. "I was thirteen and the charges were dropped! I'm here to do lab work, that's what lab partners do." Danny said, pulling up a chair beside Stiles.

Stiles made a fist and exhaled in frustration. Who knew Danny could be so, so… sassy? Rather annoyed, Stiles began to pull up the information they'd need for their lab while Danny cast an uneasy look over his shoulder.

"So, who is he again?" Danny asked, leaning in towards Stiles so he wouldn't be heard.

"Oh, umm." Stiles turned around to glance at Derek. "That's my cousin… Miguel."

Then that look appeared. The "I'm gonna rip your throat out… with my teeth" look appeared on Derek's face as the older man glared hard at him before looking back at the book on his lap before Danny could see the look too. Damn Ross for leaving him alone with this idiot and the gay boy that was definitely checking him out.

"Is that …blood on his shirt?" Danny asked curiously.

Stiles's head snapped around to look at Derek who did, in fact, have a red stain on his shirt. Stiles glanced nervously from Derek to Danny and back again.

"Oh, yeah. He gets these terrible nosebleeds." Stiles said, looking pointedly at Derek. "Hey, Miguel. I thought I told you to borrow one of my shirts."

Derek shut the book, glaring hard at Stiles, and threw it on the bed. Oh this was not fair. He slowly stripped off his shirt and threw it in the corner, pulling open Stiles's middle draw and grabbing one of the shirts. He stared down at it. Ah uh, no way was this going to fit.

"Uh, Stiles?" Derek said, trying to keep himself calm. He turned around and stretched out the shirt lightly. "This… no fit."

"Well then put something else on." Stiles hissed, getting rather annoyed.

Derek gritted his teeth, throwing the shirt back in the drawer and rummaging through the it again. He could feel Danny's gaze lingering on his back and it was making him very, very uncomfortable.

Stiles rolled his eyes, turning back to look at the computer. He turned lightly, to say something to Danny, only to find the other teen still looking at Derek. Stiles glanced back and forth between them quickly before an idea popped into his head. Oh Danny, you should never be openly attracted to a man that Stiles could use against you.

He glanced over in time to see Derek pulling on one of his bigger, and uglier, shirts. It barely fit, hugging Derek's arms and abs tightly, showing off every muscle he had. Stiles grinned inwardly and tapped Danny on the shoulder.

"That's a nice one, huh Danny?"

"Huh?" Danny asked, trying to pretend he hadn't been looking, his cheeks turning red.

"The shirt." Stiles said, encouragingly.

Danny looked over at Derek, who by now had realized what Stiles was doing. Who knew that murderous looking people could be so good looking.

"It's not his color." Danny said, softly, still blushing.

Derek tore the shirt off, furious. He was not some model to be used to get gay men to do what Stiles wanted.

"You swing for a different team but you still play ball don't cha Danny-boy?" Stiles whispered as he and Danny turned back to the computer.

"You're a horrible person." Danny replied.

"I know, it keeps me awake at night." Stiles said, nonchalantly. "Now, about that text-"

"Stiles!" Derek finally snapped, the two younger men turning to face him. "None of these fit!"

Danny took in Derek's shirtless torso and muscular arms before turning back towards the computer and pulling the keyboard towards him. "I'll need to have the time of text and IP address." Danny informed him, a slight smile on his face.

Stiles cheered slightly, choosing to ignore the hole that Derek was glaring in the back of his head. He'd won that battle and as long as Derek stayed shirtless for a while, he could win any battle against Danny.

**xXx**

Okay, so walking in to find your boyfriend shirtless in a room with a gay guy and your little brother's best friend who you think could possible gay is a little unnerving. It's also a little hilarious. Ross's eyes flittered to Derek, who was glaring a hole in the back of Stiles's head, to Stiles himself and his lab partner, Danny. Scott had told her about Danny, the only gay boy in school, but he was so sweet that no one ever made fun of him. The whole school loved Danny.

Well, Ross didn't love Danny. Not with the way he was eyeing her boyfriend's bare chest. She cleared her throat and three heads snapped around to look at her.

"You wouldn't be using my boyfriend's hotness for your own devious plans, now would you Stiles?" Ross asked, tossing Derek the black shirt she'd gotten from the Hide-Out.

Stiles quickly shook his head. "No, no!" He said quickly, and a bit nervously. "Danny was just helping me and Miguel with that text."

Ross nodded slowly, trying her hardest not to burst into laughter. Not only was Danny looking embarrassed at the fact that he was checking out someone else's boyfriend, which was the funny kind of cute, but honestly Miguel? Oh Derek was going to kill Stiles for that one.

Derek was still glaring at Stiles after pulling the shirt on. It made Ross feel a bit better to know he was fully clothed.

"So how is this search for the text going?" Ross asked, walking over and wrapping an arm around Derek's waist.

His arm went around her shoulder, but he didn't look at her just kept looking at Stiles. Ross rolled her eyes.

"Sourwolf." She hissed.

Derek's glare switched to her and she smirked, devilishly.

"Got it." Danny told her, gesturing to the screen. "There it is."

Ross pulled away from Derek, taking his hand and walking over to the computer. They stopped behind the two teens and read over the screen. Ross's mouth fell open.

"Are you sure that's it?" Ross asked.

"Yeah. That's the computer that sent it."

"Registered to that account name?" Derek questioned, felling Ross's grip on his hand tighten.

"Yeah."

"No, no, no, no." Stiles said, staring closely at the screen. "That can't be right."

**Text from: MELISSA MCCALL** was standing out on the screen.

Ross suddenly began leaning heavily against Derek, her head spinning. She felt his arms wrap around her waist and then he was leading her back to the bed and sitting her down.

"Is she alright?" Danny asked.

"Yeah." Stiles said quickly. "She's fine, probably just a migraine. She gets those a lot. So, let's wrap this up quick or we'll be late for the game."

**xXx**

"So, we'll have to go check this out." Stiles said, looking at Derek and Ross as Danny began packing his bag.

Derek nodded, his chin resting on the top of Ross's head which was resting on his chest. Ross's eyes found Danny, who looked confused and, if she wasn't completely mistaken, disappointed at the fact that Derek had put a shirt on.

"Be a good person." Ross whispered in Derek's ear.

Derek looked down at her, confused, and Ross's eyes flickered to Danny. Derek followed her gaze before looking back at her, mouth open.

"No." He hissed.

Ross gave him a look. "Come on. He's been such a good boy. Be nice."

"Ross." Derek growled, glaring at her like she was Stiles.

Ross raised an eyebrow and pouted out her lower lip. Derek looked at Danny and then back at her puppy dog face. He closed his eyes and bit down on his lower lip before pulling away and shedding his shirt. Ross grinned, satisfied with herself and eyed Derek as he glared at her. Danny's eyes were suddenly glued to Derek as well and Ross caught his eye, winking at him.

Danny blushed and picked up his bag. "I'll um… I'll see you at the game, Stiles." Danny stuttered before taking one last look at Derek and disappearing.

Derek continued to glower at Ross as he pulled his shirt back on.

Ross shrugged. "Well I didn't say it was just a present for him." She said seductively.

"Okay." Stiles whined. "Honestly? Will you guys go hump each other somewhere else?"

Ross and Derek both turned to glare hard at him. Stiles shrunk back in his seat.

"Sorry!" He cried. "But it got your attention."

Ross rolled her eyes but stood up to grab her jacket. "Alright, we should probably get going. Are you sure you want to go with us, Stiles? This is your first game."

"And miss out on all the action with you and sourwolf? No way!"

Derek rolled his eyes and Ross smirked. "Alright, if you're sure. Stiles, Miguel." Ross's smirk widened at the glare Derek was sending her. "Let's haul ass."

**xXx**

"Did you get the picture?" Scott's voice echoed around the car from Stiles's speaker phone.

"Yeah I did and it looks just like the drawing." Stiles replied.

Ross immediately leaned back as Derek reached past her to grab the phone. Instead he grabbed Stiles's wrist, pulling it over towards him so he could talk to Scott.

"Is there something on the back of it?" He asked. "There's got to be something. An inscription, an opening… Something!"

Ross bit her bottom lip, trying to keep herself from laughing at poor Stiles. He had been silently mouthing "ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!" for the last thirty seconds.

"No, no, no." Scott replied to all three things named. "The thing is flat. And it doesn't open. There's nothing in it, on it, around it. Nothing." He paused. "And where are you?" He asked Stiles quickly. "You're supposed to be here. You're first line!"

"Hey!" Finstock's voice sounded in the background. "Where the hell's Bilinski? Huh?"

Ross heard Stiles sigh as Derek released his wrist.

"Stiles." Scott sighed. "You're not gonna play if you're not here to start."

"I know." Stiles said, hitting the steering wheel softly. "Look if you… If you see my dad can you tell him… Tell him I'll be there I'll just be a little late. Okay?"

"Okay."

"Alright, thanks." Stiles said before hanging up.

"You're not gonna make it." Derek said, and Ross could see the tiniest bit of sympathy in his eyes.

Derek had played lacrosse when they'd been in school. First line since freshmen year, for obvious reasons. He'd loved it. The thrill, the adrenaline, the way people treated him like he was a hero, instead of the youngest in the family that needed to be protected like his family had. Ross had loved to watch him play. She and Laura had gone to almost all his games and cheered him on. He'd always looked so good in that uniform, number twelve. And every time he scored a goal, which was a lot, he'd find them in the stands and grin that sweet, charming grin he used to have.

"I know." Stiles sighed.

Ross patted his shoulder before leaning over to tie her combat boots and double check that her wolf's bane tipped pocket knife was secure.

"And you didn't tell him about his mom either." Derek said, glancing at the hospital in front of them.

"No, not until we find out the truth." Stiles replied.

Ross silently agreed as she continued to tighten the laces on her left boot.

"By the way, one more thing." Derek said.

"Yeah." Stiles said, turning to face him.

Derek's hand shot behind Stiles's head and he slammed Stiles's head onto the jeep's steering wheel.

"Ah!" Stiles cried as his head shot back.

Ross immediately shot back up and she looked at Stiles, concerned.

"What the he-" The younger man started.

"You know what that was for!" Derek snapped, though Ross found herself wondering if it was for naming him Miguel or for using his very attractive body to seduce Danny into doing what he wanted.. "Go."

Stiles opened his mouth to say something, holding his forehead in pain.

"Go!" Derek ordered, pointing an agitated finger at the hospital.

Ross rolled her eyes in exasperation as Stiles threw open the driver's side door. She shook her head at Derek, who had a self satisfied smirk on his face.

"You're awful." She told him.

"Be careful." He replied.

"Always." Ross said, giving him a quick kiss on the lips before hurrying after Stiles.

"I think we should get him one of those zap collars." Stiles said, rubbing his forehead.

Ross raised an eyebrow. "You do realize he can still hear you, right?"

Stiles visible paled and Ross smirked as they entered the building. Ross's smirked disappeared as she realized the hospital was empty. "Call Derek." Ross told him.

"There's no one here." Stiles said once Derek picked up.

Ross rolled her eyes and followed Stiles down the next hallway. Why did this hallways look so familiar?

"No, I can't. There's no one here." She heard Stiles say, following him into an empty room.

Ross's eyes narrowed. "Isn't this Peter's room?" She asked Stiles, who nodded.

Ross scanned the room, it was completely empty apart from the bed and the wheel chair sitting beside the window.

"He's not here either." Stiles said. "No. There's no one here Derek."

There was a slight pause in which something in Ross's mind clicked. Peter was gone. Peter, the werewolf, was gone. Peter who'd known her since she was a teenager was gone. Peter who used to call her Rosaline and not Ross, was gone. Peter was the Alpha.

Derek was apparently thinking along the same lines because Stiles was suddenly pulling her out of the room, Derek's muffled voice shouting into the phone. Something caught the corner of her eye and Ross turned to find Peter Hale looking at them with a triumphant expression.

"Hello Rosaline. And you must be Stiles." Peter said.

Ross pushed Stiles away as Peter made a grab for him, which resulting in Peter pulling her into his chest. She struggled, put he simply held her tight as she flailed. All she could see was Stiles shocked and panicked face as he slowly backed up. He turned slightly, probably to go get Derek, only to be stopped by Jennifer, Peter's nurse.

"What are you doing here?" She asked. "Visiting hours are over."

"You…" Stiles pointed at her before turning back around to look at Peter. "And him… You… You're the one who… And he's the…"

Ross rolled her eyes at how slowly Stiles was putting this all together.

"Oh my God I'm gonna die." Stiles said, running a hand over his head.

Ross dropped her head in exasperation. Of all the people she could have brought with her, she chose Stiles.

"I'm gonna die." Stiles repeated.

Ross lifted her head to tell Stiles to shut the hell up only to see Derek appear, elbowing Jennifer in the face and knocking her out cold.

"Let her go." Derek growled, looking beyond pissed.

"That's not nice." Peter said in a mock scolding voice. "She's my nurse."

"She's the psychotic bitch helping you kill people." Derek snapped. "Let. Her. Go."

"And now why would I do that?" Peter asked. "You know what she does, don't you?"

Derek's eyes narrowed and Ross gave him a questioning look. He shook his head.

"Oh, you know but she doesn't." Peter mocked. "Isn't that adorable. Rosaline, do you remember the little blood bond that you and Laura thought was such a good way to show your loyalty to each other?"

Ross didn't answer, instead she glared at the wall behind Derek. Of course she remembered, it'd been her idea.

"I'll take that as a yes. Well, it means that you're a part of Laura's blood. Your presence makes Laura and anyone in her family stronger. It's called a blood promise. And the second the last member of Laura's family dies so will you." Peter hissed in her ear. "You need us Rosaline. You need me. And you will follow me. I am, after all, the Alpha."

"Yeah." Ross said, nodding. "You are the Alpha. But you know what else you are?"

"What?"

"A guy." Ross snarled, bringing her foot up between Peter's legs.

He released her with a howl of pain and she dove at Stiles, knocking him out of the way. Derek's eyes immediately turned an electric blue and he let out a loud roar before using the wall to lunge at Peter. The older Hale slammed Derek into the wall and Derek collapsed.

Stiles immediately began to scramble out of the way, pulling a reluctant Ross with him. The scrambled over to a near by desk to watch the fight. Peter picked Derek up by the neck, dragging him down the hallway. Stiles immediately grabbed Ross's shoulders, pulling her back so she couldn't lunge towards the two wolves.

"You want forgiveness?" They heard Derek snarled as he stood up and got in a good punch.

Peter caught Derek's leg as he kicked at his uncle and threw the younger Hale backwards. Derek groaned, his nose bleeding badly and dripping onto the floor.

"I want understanding." Peter snarled.

Derek glared at him, standing up again. "Stiles get her out of here. _NOW_!"

Ross struggled against Stiles as he began pulling her away again. She couldn't make out what Peter was saying to Derek, she was too busy trying to get back to him. To help him. She watched as Derek swung twice at Peter, the Alpha dodging each punch with ease, before catching Derek's third punch. She could hear Derek's arm breaking from where Stiles was dragging her.

"No!" Ross screamed. "Stiles let me go!"

Her heart stopped as Peter threw Derek throw one of the glass reception windows and she could barely see Derek dragging himself away. She struggled harder, surprised at how strong Stiles was. Definitely not the push over she'd thought he was.

**xXx**

She sat on the edge of her bed, one leg pulled up to her chest, the other shaking uncontrollably on the ground. She glanced at her window. Where was he? Scott had told her he'd seen Derek. So where was he? Why wasn't he here?

She tried desperately to stop the tears. Scott had to be wrong. He had to be.

A soft thud.

Ross looked up to see Derek at her window. Staring at him she knew. She knew that Scott hadn't been wrong. And she knew that he knew that she knew. Derek took a step towards her and opened his mouth. To apologize she was sure.

"I-"

Ross quickly cut him off. "Understand. I understand." Derek looked surprised. "Peter's your uncle, Derek. He's your family. I can't be mad at you for not wanting to go against him. He's the last piece of family that you have left. I understand."

Derek look relieved for the moment. Ross ran her hand through her hair and took a steadying breath as he took another step towards her.

"But you have to understand." She said, stopping him in his tracks. "That Scott is my family. And I can't betray him. I'm sorry."

The heart break in Derek's eyes almost killed her. He nodded once and turned to leave, but not before Ross caught him arm. He turned back to look at her, the tears in her eyes obvious.

"I really am sorry, Derek." Ross told him, her voice as full of tears as her eyes. "And I-I do love you."

She barely had time to kiss his check on last time before he disappeared into the night. Ross couldn't even make it back to her bed. She collapsed to the floor, sobbing.

**A/N:**_ And there we have it, the heart breaking chapter six.! The ending was hard for me to write, so I hope its not too suckish. I honestly couldn't leave out the shirtless Derek scene. I mean, it was the best scene to ever happen to _Teen Wolf_.! Who can blame poor Danny for giving in. I know I would have.! Oh goodness, I'm such a fangirl! I hope I got everything about right. This is the first episode I didn't watch while I wrote, so sorry if I got anything wrong. HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY.! USA ALL THE WAY.! (Tori wanted me to put that in. Can anyone tell me either of the two hockey movies that's from? You'll get a cookie!). Anyways, Tori (who you all know as my best friend :)) is going to set up an account sometime this week so she can put up her Sterek fic that she's been working on. Yes, a Sterek fic, because we are now addicted to Sterek.! I'll let you know her username and title when she sets it up. It's gonna be great. As always, thanks for all the reviews so far and R&R.!_


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** _-_- Curve balls… that's all Season Two has thrown at me. Curve balls. Okay, so firstly, I don't hate Erica anymore. I don't like her, but I don't hate her. And it's all because of one line; "Stiles, you make a good Batman". Literally, the sweetest line anyone on that show has ever said and I don't hate her anymore because of it. Call me crazy. Speaking of crazy… WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON.! Peter? Alive? WHAT? I am SO CONFUSED.! So what do you guys think? Is Lydia crazy or is Peter really back? Further more, Scott joins the pack.! FINALLY! Now all he has to do is dump Allison. I'm sorry, I just don't like her. I mean, its just the way that she acts and that she makes Scott act… I don't know if that makes sense so we're just going to move on…_

**Disclaimer::** _Please see previous chapters because I'm tired of typing it..._

_**Chapter Seven:**_

"Are you okay?" Scott asked when Ross came downstairs the next morning, with a dark blue robe thrown over her bed shirt.

She gave him a long look. "… I need… a drink. Like whiskey. Does Melissa have whiskey?"

Scott slowly shook his head.

"Damn." Ross hissed, opening the refrigerator.

"I'm really sorry." Scott said after a minute of silence.

"Rule number four."

_Never apologize… it's a sign of weakness._

Ross pulled out the Apple Juice and then a package of eggs. She slammed a plastic cup onto the table along with a bowl to mix the eggs in.

"Don't you have school?"

"It's six o'clock."

Ross looked at the clock. "Oh. Do you need a ride?"

Scott shook his head. "I'm just going to take my bike today. Stiles and I have plans."

"Okay. Well, I have work tonight so I'll see you whenever."

"I'm not leaving yet."

Ross glared at him.

"I'm leaving now."

She nodded before turning back to making her eggs. She'd just dumped the mixed eggs into the frying pan when her heart dropped.

_Girl you make my speakers go BOOM BOOM_

_Dancin' on the tailgate in the full moon_

Ross threw her head back and groaned. "Seriously?" She whined, pulling the phone from her robe pocket.

_That kind of thing makes a man go-_

"Hello?" Her voice whiney and breakable.

"_What's wrong?"_ Mandie asked, sounding panicked.

"Nothing. I'm just tired."

"_She lies!"_

Ross groaned. "Hello Evan."

"_Hiya Rossie!"_ Ross didn't have to be looking at him to see the large grin on Mandie's older brother's face. _"Now what's wrong?"_

"Nothing Evan."

"_Come on Rossie."_

"Stop calling me Rossie." She snarled.

"_Listen." _Mandie said in her best, most authoritive voice. _"We're almost to your house so you might as well tell us what's wrong."_

"You're what?"

"_Almost to your place. When I told Evan and John about Scott getting bit and Derek being attacked by the Alpha and you being threatened by the Alpha they freaked out and went all Jock on us. So Evan and I are on the way down, help you figure out who the Alpha is.."_

"Oh God." Ross whined, slumping to the floor.

"_What is it?"_

"I know who the Alpha is."

"_You do?"_ Mandie and Evan asked together.

"Yeah. It's Peter Hale."

Silence ensued.

"_It's who now?"_ Evan finally stuttered out.

"Peter Hale? Derek's uncle? He's the Alpha."

More silence.

"_Well… I never saw that one coming."_

"Neither did I."

"_How's Derek taking it?" Mandie asked._

Ross almost burst into tears on the spot.

"_Ross? Your heart rate's going up." _Evan said, and Ross could hear the panic in his voice. _"What's wrong?"_

"Boys are stupid."

"_Hurtful."_ Evan murmured.

"_Shut up!"_ Mandie snapped. _"Ross what happened?"_

"Derek's helping Peter."

"_He's WHAT?"_

"Did I stutter?" Ross snarled. Guilt immediately flooded her. "Sorry."

"_Rule number four."_ Mandie reminded her gently.

"How could he do that to me?"

"_I dunno sweetie. We're about an hour away. We'll be there soon. Hang in there Ross."_

**xXx**

"Okay, explain it again."

"I have explained it two hundred fifty thousand million times! I am _not _going over it again!"

"Rossie-"

"Evan, if you do _not_ stop calling me Rossie I am going to inject Nordic Blue Wolf's Bane into your little werewolf ass!"

Evan looked taken aback. "Well." He murmured. "Somebody had an extra big bowl of Bitch Flakes this morning."

"Get out." Mandie ordered, jabbing a finger towards Ross's bedroom door. Rolling his eyes, twenty-five-year-old did as he was told.

"Boys are stupid." Ross whimpered, flopping back on her bed.

"I know sweetie. And I know you don't want to think about it, but we have to come up with a way to stop Peter and Derek and what are you doing?" Mandie asked, watching as Ross flipped through something on her phone.

"Changing my ring tone because if I hear Luke Bryan one more time I'm going to cry." Ross replied.

Mandie fell backwards on her back so she could look at Ross's phone. "Do something by Taylor Swift." The slightly older girl advised. "She reminds me of you."

"Why?"

"She spunky. She's really, really, really sweet but if you piss her off, oh boy. Watch your back."

Ross smiled. "Sounds more like Laura."

Mandie shrugged. "Not really. Laura was more of a…" Mandie paused to think. "A Miranda Lambert. Spunky, crazy, and rarely seriously sweet."

Ross rolled her eyes, chuckling slightly.

"Oh! I know!" Mandie exclaimed, holding out her hand for the phone. "Let me see."

Raising an eyebrow, Ross did as her friend asked. After a minute of flicking through the phone, Mandie handed it back and pulled out her own phone.

"Ready?"

Ross rolled her eyes and nodded, letting Mandie push the call button.

_She's not a saint_

_And she's not what you think_

_She's an actress_

_She's better known for the things that she does_

_On the mattress_

_Soon she's gonna find_

_Stealing other people's toys on the playground_

_Won't make you many friends_

_She should keep in mind_

_She should keep in mind_

_There is nothing I do _

_Better than revenge_

_Ha!_

Ross left out a short laugh. "Very nice."

"I know. Now, being serious again?"

Ross took in a deep breath and nodded. "Yeah. We've got to think of a plan."

**xXx**

To say that Jackson had a long day was an understatement. So he did what any normal sixteen-year-old boy would do. He took it out on his car, music blaring and doing donuts in the parking lot behind the school. It was almost working… until the Engine Check Light came on.

Cursing, he got out of the car and threw open the hood to take a look. As far as he could tell there was absolutely nothing wrong. But than again, he was _not_ a car person.

"Son of a-"

The sound another car pulling up stopped Jackson's swear word short and he turned around to see Chris Argent stepping out of his own car. "Having car troubles?" He called.

Jackson stared at him before slowly nodding.

"Let me have a look." Chris said, approaching him.

"That's alright." Jackson replied quickly. "I'll just call a tow truck."

"Well, I know a few things about cars." Chris assured him, running his hands over the engine, careful not to disrupt the bug he'd placed there.

"I don't know. This is an expensive car and they have this warranty if you do your own repairs."

"Well, it'll be our little secret." Chris told him. "Come here, I'll show you what to look for."

Chris carefully grabbed the back of Jackson's neck, bringing him forwards. He held him there for a minute before Jackson jerked out of his grip. "I'm sorry, but I couldn't help but notice the nick on your neck. How'd you do that?"

"It's just a scratched." Jackson said, sounding a little freaked out.

"Funny." Chris pondered. "It looks a lot like claw marks."

"It's nothing. It's fine. I'll just call a tow truck."

"Is there a reason you're so reluctant to tell me what happened?"

Squealing tires and loud music announced the arrival of Stiles and Scott. Stiles brought his jeep to a stop and he and Scott smiled through the passenger side widow at Jackson and Chris.

"Hey Jackson. Hi Mr. Argent." Scott called.

"You having car troubles Jackson?" Stiles asked, leaning forwards to see past Scott. "There's a shop a few blocks away. We can give you a ride."

"No, it's fine." Jackson replied, clearly annoyed.

"Aw, come on now Jackson. You're too pretty to be out here all by yourself."

"Yeah." Scott agreed, shooting Jackson a "get in the car before I use my werewolf powers to kick your ass" look. "It's no trouble."

"Yeah, okay, I guess." Jackson mumbled, walking towards the car.

Scott threw open the door and stepped out so Jackson could get in. While the three boys were concentrated on each other, Chris reached down and pulled the bug out of the car.

"Hey boys!" He called, reaching into the car and turning on the ignition letting the car start smoothly. "Told you I knew a few things about cars."

He smiled at them one more time before getting into his car and driving off.

"What are you following me now?" Jackson demanded when Chris was out of sight.

"Yes you freakin' idiot!." Scott cried, slamming the door shut. Stiles jumped out of the jeep to get between the two as Scott continued to freak out. "You almost gave it all away right there!"

"What are you talking about?"

"He thinks you're the second beta!"

"What?"

"He thinks you're me!" Scott yelled, turning around and slamming his fist into the hood of Stiles's jeep.

"Dude, my jeep." Stiles whined.

"I could hear your heart beating from a mile away. Literally!" Scott snapped, ignoring Stiles completely. "Now he thinks there's something wrong and now I have to keep an eye on you too so he doesn't KILL YOU!"

Letting his temper get the best of him, Scott turned to hit Stiles's jeep again. Eyes wide, Stiles leapt onto Scott, holding him back.

"Okay, woah, woah, woah!" Stiles said, pulling Scott back. "Let's just step away from Stiles's jeep, okay?"

"You know what? This is _your _problem, not mine." Jackson snapped. "I didn't say anything which means you're the one that's going to get me killed! Okay, this is your fault!"

Jackson stepped forwards, pushing Scott hard into Stiles's jeep.

"Okay, can we stop hitting my jeep!" Stiles cried.

Scott ignored him, pushing Jackson back and Stiles jumped in the middle, pushing them away from each other. "Okay, guys stop."

"When they come after you, I _won't_ be able to protect you." Scott told him harshly, relaxing somewhat when he turned to look at Stiles. "I can't protect anyone."

"Why are you looking at me?" Stiles demanded.

"You know what, now you have to do it." Jackson said. "Get me what I want and I will be fine protecting myself."

"No you won't." Scott said, desperate for Jackson to understand. "Just trust me. All it does is make things worse."

"Oh yeah, really? You know, you can hear anything you want and run faster than humanly possible. Sounds like a real hard ship McCall."

"Yeah, I can run really fast now." Scott agreed. "But half the time I'm running away from people trying to KILL ME!"

Jackson rolled his eyes.

"And I can hear things. Like my girlfriend telling people she doesn't trust me just before breaking up with me. I'm not _lying_ to you! It ruins your life."

Jackson rolled his eyes again and shook his head. "It ruined _your_ life. You had all the power in the world and you didn't know what to do with it. You wanna know what it's really like? It's like you're sixteen and someone bought you a Porsche when they should have started you out with a nice little Honda. Me? I drive a Porsche."

Jackson hissed the last part before returning to his car and driving off. Unable to help himself, Scott let out one last yell of anger and turned, slamming his fist into Stiles's jeep.

"Dude!" Stiles cried.

**xXx**

"Ross, who are these people and why are they in our house?" Scott hissed into his phone, carefully eyeing the two strangers one the couch.

The girl looked like she was couple of years older than Ross with jet black hair pulled back in a braid and blue eyes. The guy was older than Ross by at least three if not four years, his hair was also jet black, and kind of shaggy, but his eyes were a dark brown, darker than Ross's eyes.

"They smell funny."

The man looked offended. "I can hear you, ya know?" He snarled.

"Ross." Scott hissed again.

"_They're my friends Mandie and Evan, they came down to help with our problem, Evan's a wolf and Mandie has the gene so she smells funny."_ Ross sighed in return. _"Scott I've really got to go. It's my first day and talking on my cell phone is not going to look good."_

"What am I supposed to tell Mom?"

"_Tell her I wasn't handling the whole Derek thing well so Mandie and Evan came down for moral support. I. Have. To. Go."_

Scott sighed, a whiny sigh. "Alright. Goodbye."

"Wait!" Mandie jumped off the coach and grabbed the phone. "Ross?"

"_What?"_

"You're working in a weapons store, right?"

"_Sporting goods."_

"A weapons store. Excellent. Bring me back a compound bow."

"_Do I want to know why?"_

"Because if I'm going to kill Peter Hale, I'm going to do it right God damn it!" Mandie exclaimed, pressing the _End Call_ button and tossing the phone back to Scott. "Friends." She sighed as if she'd just said "boys" instead.

**xXx**

"Have a good night Miss McCoy."

Ross smiled at her boss. "Thanks Mr. Ryan." She replied, hoisting the compound bow over her shoulder and leaving the store.

"Ross!" Mr. Ryan called before she'd completely left.

Ross quickly backtracked in through the door and looked back at her boss. He walked towards her, clutching two small cases in his hand. Stopping in front of her, he handed them to her one at a time.

"Those bows I gave you, you can change the tip." He said. "Flash bulb." He placed the first case in her hand. "And Wolf's Bane."

Ross's eyes widened and she stared up at him as he placed the second case in her palm. He smiled gently.

"Have a nice night, Miss McCoy. And be careful."

Ross stared after him as he left, her mouth slightly agape. Had he just given her things to hunt a werewolf? How in God's great name did he know?

"Oh my God." She said shaking her head. "Talk about a worst kept secret."

**xXx**

_I have to do this._

_You're not a killer._

_I have to do this._

_She'll never look at you the same._

_I_ have_ to do this!_

_Laura would be so ashamed._

_Peter's all I have left. Laura's dead, she left me!_

_Peter killed her!_

_He didn't mean it! I don't want to be alone._

_You have Ross…_

_Not anymore…_

Derek couldn't believe he was about to do this. But he had to, didn't he? Laura would've killed him for this. But Jackson was a threat, right? He had to be taken care of.

"What's in here?" There was a slight note of uncertainty in Jackson's voice, and based on his heart rate, he was definitely afraid.

_Coward._

"Everything you want." Derek replied.

Jackson slowly walked up to the door. He stood, staring at it for a minute before carefully looking over his shoulder at Derek, who gestured towards the door. Slowly, Jackson reached forwards and pushed the door to the Hale House open. He started when Derek appeared behind him, gripping his shoulder.

"It's gonna be alright." He assured Jackson, unsure whether he was talking to himself or the teen. "Trust me." He pushed Jackson inside.

The teen began looking around at the house, his breathing speeding up slightly and Derek closed the door behind him.

"This house." Jackson said slowly. "It's the same house."

Derek took half a step forwards. "What'd you say?"

"I've dreamt about this place. I remember th-the staircase, I remember the walls, I remember… everything."

"You've been here?"

"No." Jackson said, turning to face him in front of the staircase. "Never. I dreamt about this place."

Derek's eyebrow creased in confusion. There was no blip in his heart rate. He wasn't lying.

"There's no one else here." Jackson said, his eyes tearing up slightly.

Derek shook his head, stepping towards Jackson.

"Anyone else coming?"

Derek shook his head again. Another step forwards. He slowly uncurled the fist he'd made, revealing his claws. Jackson's heart rate spiked. Jackson tripped on the stairs, trying to step backwards. Did he ever look pathetic.

_You can't kill him._

"Please." Jackson said, his heart in his throat. "Please don't, okay? I'll shut up. I'll never say another word again. I-I'll leave Scott alone. Please. You _can't _do this! Please."

_Laura would be so ashamed._

"Please." Jackson begged, tears starting to steam down his face. "I don't' deserve it."

"I think you do." Derek replied, emotionlessly.

"No!" Jackson tried.

"Look around you!" Derek snarled. "Wouldn't there be someone around you, trying to save you? There's a reason. No one cares that you drive an expensive car. No one cares that you have perfect hair. And _no one cares_ that you're captain of the lacrosse team!"

"Excuse me!" Derek and Jackson looked to the top of the stairs. Scott was standing there, looking annoyed and angry. "Co-Captain." In a single jump, he landed in front of Jackson wolfed out and ready to fight.

Derek let out a roar, shifting into his wolf form as well. "Move." He ordered.

"No." Scott replied sharply.

"Fine." Derek snarled. "I'll kill you too."

_You'll loose Ross._

A whistling attacked the wolves' sensitive hearing. Derek turned to look at the door before turning back to Scott.

"Cover your eyes!" He ordered, dropping to his knees and covering his eyes.

An arrow whistled into the wall to Scott's left, a blinding light exploding from it. Jackson dove away from the staircase and took off, not a second too soon. Gunfire erupted from the other side of the door. Derek dove behind the nearest wall. Scott, however, was too stunned to move. Bullets drove themselves into his abdomen.

Finally Scott managed to get away from the gunfire, holding his badly wounded stomach area. Derek's eyes found him. Almost immediately his own words came back to haunt him.

"_**You and me? We're brothers now Scott."**_

He closed his eyes, looking away. _Brothers._

"_**You didn't have to do that." A thirteen-year-old Derek said. "Dad's gonna be really mad."**_

_**He looked up at his older brother. Jock was eighteen, taller than him, stronger than him, and very protective of him. This incident had been no different. Their cousin, Dave, had never been too fond of Derek and, since Dave was older than Derek and therefore stronger and faster, family reunions always seemed to end with Derek nursing a broken bone. And that was no fun. Cuts, scratches, and bruises took seconds to heal but broken bones took several, painful hours depending on the break.**_

_**This time however, it would be Dave who was nursing broken bones. Three to be exact. His nose, his wrist, and his right cheek bone.**_

_**Jock smiled down at Derek, ruffling his hair. "Don't worry about it. That's what brothers are for. We protect each other. Besides, I can handle Dad… And if not I'll make Mom handle Dad." Jock replied with a wink and a soft chuckle.**_

Jock's laughter echoed in his ears as he continued to stare at Scott. The continuous gun fire made it almost impossible for him to get to Scott.

"Scott, get out!" He called, gesturing to the doorway behind Scott that led to the kitchen and the kitchen door.

Scott didn't move, just continued to stare down at his bloody hands. Cursing in his head, Derek glanced at the door one last time before pushing himself away from the wall and running to Scott. He dragged the younger wolf to his feet and pushed him into the kitchen.

"Run!" He ordered before turning back to the front door.

"_**That's what brothers are for. We protect each other."**_

He flung open the door, only to find one shooter; Kate Argent. He gave a sharp howl at her before she sneered and squeezed the trigger again.

_Laura would be proud._

_Jock would be proud._

_You have Ross…_

**A/N:** _And there we have it.! I hope you've enjoyed :) Gave you a quick glance at Mandie, who will be showing up a little more for the rest of this fic and for the sequel… if you guys want a sequel. P.S. my favorite part about writing this chapter was Derek's speech to Jackson about how no one cares about everything he has, because Derek's right! In the end no one cares about that! It's who you are that matters, not how pretty you are, or how rich you are, or how good at sports you are. IT'S WHO YOU ARE! That concludes my sermon, I'll be passing the dish around for collections in a moment. JK, but that was a serious rant. Anyways, let me know what you thought. R&R :D _


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:** _Firstly… Can I hear three cheers for Derek? He kicked ass in Monday's episode! He's slowly becoming the Derek I knew and loved in season one. I mean, first he's all brotherly concerned for Scott. He wasn't leaving without Scott and yelling at Stiles to break the seal (and ultimately letting Jackson escape) is the sweetest thing Derek's done in a long time. And then he bit Allison's mom. Um… Hell yes Derek! I hate her so much -_-. Now hopefully this will cause a rift between Chris and his father and then the Argents will be more focused on fighting each other than trying to kill our friendly neighborhood werewolves. Soo that's Derek; 1, Argents; -123423232454767832146 ;) Also… Isaac needs to stop being a cocky jerk. I liked him so much better when he was soft, sweet and kind of frightened. It gave him an innocence that the others lacked. Okay, done ranting. Here's chapter eight.!_

**Disclaimer::** _Please see previous chapters because I'm tired of typing it..._

_**Chapter Eight:**_

The pain took her by surprise. It was a sudden, sharp pain in her chest that made it almost impossible to breath. Ross gasped in surprise, shooting forwards in her seat and throwing a hand over her heart.

"Ross?" Mandie asked, sitting forwards as well. "What's wrong?"

"Derek and Scott." Ross whispered. "They're hurt."

She jumped off of her bed, grabbing her crossbow, quiver, and jacket and running out the door.

"Ross, wait!" Mandie called from behind her.

Ross ignored her, running down the stairs and towards the door. Nothing was going to stop her from getting to her boys… Okay, one thing could. It's name? Evan Knight. The wolf grabbed Ross's elbow as she ran by, causing her to jerk backwards when she could no longer continue forward.

"Let go!" She snarled, twisting her body so she could look at him.

"Ross, you could be walking into a trap." Evan reasoned.

"I don't care."

"I do."

"Evan let go! My boys are in trouble."

"I'll let go as long as you promise to stay put."

Ross stared up at him, her eyes filling slightly. "They're in trouble. I can feel it. This pain, this… this." Ross paused, searching for the right word. "This feeling that I have. I know. They need me."

"I believe you but we have to think this through."

"Evan's right, Ross." Mandie added. "Peter knows more about this Blood Promise connection then we do. What if he's hurting them to get you?"

"Then we need to go get them." Ross cried.

"And we will Ross. But we need to think."

Ross glared at them both. "I lost my best friend." She told them, ripping her arm from Evan's grip. "I am _not _loosing my boys too."

"You're not loosing anyone Ross." Evan soothed.

_She's not a saint_

_And she's not what you think_

_She an actress_

_**Private Caller**_ flashed across Ross's screen. She shot the Knight siblings one last glare before answering it.

"McCoy."

"_Ross? It's Dr. Deaton, Scott's boss."_

"Yeah, hi. What's up?"

"_I have your brother here and-"_

"Is he okay?" Ross asked, cutting the vet off before he could finish his sentence.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Evan and Mandie exchange a look.

"_He's a bit sore, but fine. I was hoping you could come pick him up."_

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm on the way. Thank you."

"_I'll see you when you get here."_

**xXx**

Allison took a shaky breath and wiped her eyes with a hand, trying to keep her eyes on the road. She couldn't focus on anything but what Kate had shown her.

_**Kate turned the spotlight on and it illuminated a man chained to the wall with fangs and electric blue eyes. He roared at them, showing his huge, sharp fangs but that's now what scared Allison the most. It was his eyes, his eyes that should have been full of evil and hate. But instead, they were full of fear. How could something so terrifying look so terrified of someone like her and her aunt?**_

"_**What is he?" Allison asked as Kate sat down on a table.**_

_**On that table, Allison noticed, was an electrical box connected to wires that had been connected to the man's side.**_

"_**Shape-shifter, lycan, werewolf." Kate replied boredly. "To me, he's just another dumb animal."**_

_**She turned the dial in the middle of the electric box and electricity surge through the wires. The man's body jerked uncontrollably as he gritted his teeth, trying not to give them the satisfaction of a scream.**_

Allison's breath caught as she heard sirens and the lights of a police car lit up behind her.

"No, no. Please, not now." She pleaded with no one. "Please."

She slowly pulled over, stopping the car.

"_**What are you doing?" Allison asked, her voice shaking slightly. "Is that going to kill him?"**_

"_**Oh don't get all modest on me now kiddo." Kate replied, walking up to the unmoving man. She forced his lips apart slightly and beckoned Allison over. "You see these? These are canines, or fangs. Great for the tearing of flesh."**_

"_**Is this a joke to you?"**_

"_**Sweetheart, there are werewolves running around." Kate replied, walking back over to the electrical box and turning the dial again. "Everything's a joke to me."**_

_**The wolf couldn't stop himself from crying out in pain this time. Slowly the hair lining his face receded and his fangs retracted until he looked like an ordinary man. An ordinary man that Allison recognized.**_

_**Derek Hale.**_

Allison reached into her glove box to grab her registration, trying to shake the memory out of her head. She'd just closed the glove box when the officer shone his flashlight into her car.

_**Derek's green eyes opened slightly, meeting Allison's eyes. He looked pained, terrified and, despite the fact that he was supposedly a homicidal maniac, Allison couldn't help but feel bad for him as Kate cranked the dial again.**_

"_**Kate, stop!" Allison cried, her voice barely audible over Derek's pained screams. "Please stop."**_

"Do you know why I pulled you over?" Sheriff Skilinski asked, carefully looking over Allison.

She bit her bottom lip, trying to stop herself from bursting into tears on the spot and shook her head. She didn't know. She couldn't think. Not about anything but those eyes. Those terrified green eyes and pained screams.

"You were um- you were going seventy in a twenty-five construction zone. Are you alright?"

"_**Seriously, kiddo?" Kate asked, turning the dial off. "You said you wanted to feel powerful.**_

_**Derek's screams faded into labored breathing and the occasional whimper.**_

"_**Not like this." Allison whispered, staring in Derek's eyes.**_

"I'm fine." Allison assured him, a tear slipping out of her eye. "Oh God this is so embarrassing. I'm not usual like this and I'm not trying to get out of a ticket, I promise."

"It's alright." The Sheriff replied. "I'll let you off with a warning."

"No!" Allison cried. "No, I need you to write me a ticket."

"Um…" The Sheriff clearly had no idea what to do.

"I'm sorry this is not me." Allison whispered. "This-this is not mean. This is not me. This is _not_ me."

She was _not_ a scared little girl that would curl up in a corner. She _was_ a fighter. And she was going to remind her family, remind everyone, of that.

"I'm sorry." Allison finally said, taking a deep breath and giving the Sheriff a slight smile. "I'm okay now."

"Do I still need to write you a ticket?"

**xXx**

"Oh God, Scottie, are you okay?" Ross cried, throwing her arms around her little brother.

"I'm alright, Ross." Scott whispered, giving his sister a tight squeeze.

"I was so worried about you. I felt it. I felt you and Derek getting hurt. It was awful. Oh God, Scottie what happened?"

"Someone was shot at us. I'm okay but Ross." Scott stopped himself short and Ross saw something that resembled pain in his eyes. "Derek saved me. He saved my life Ross."

"Where is he?"

"He ran out the front, towards the gunfire. The Argents have him."

Ross buried her face in Scott's chest, for the first time glad that her little brother was taller than her.

"We'll get him back, Ross." Scott promised. "Stiles and I will help. You know Stiles, he always wants to help."

**xXx**

"He tried to kill you!" Stiles cried as he and Ross watched Scott search his room desperately for his phone. "You remember, when you walked in on his trying to kill Jackson. Are you starting to see a pattern of violent behavior?"

"He wasn't trying to kill anyone." Ross snapped.

"And I'm not letting him die." Scott announced.

"Could you at least think about letting him die?" Stiles asked. "For me?"

Ross slapped him hard over the head, the sound echoing around the room.

"Ow!" Stiles cried. "Sorry, jeeze."

Ross glared at him, leaning back against Scott's door watching her brother as he sat down on his bed.

"Listen." Stiles said. "He ran into _gunfire_! No one else thinks he's dead."

"He's not dead." Ross said. "I can feel him. They're hurting him." Tears filled her eyes. "I can't lose him."

"You're not going to lose him." Mandie announced her presence, lying a hand on Ross's arm. "Evan's gone to get John. It's day's drive there and back. They'll be here by tomorrow night at the latest. We're going to find Derek and then _you_ are going to kick some serious Kate Argent ass."

Ross gave her a half hearted smile and nodded.

"And, this might not help make you feel better but, they won't kill Derek. They need him to get to Peter."

"Great!" Stiles cheered. "Problem solved. Peter gets Derek out, the Argents kill Peter, life goes back to normal."

Mandie rolled her eyes at him and Ross looked like she was ready to slap him upside the head again.

"Not if Peter's going to use Allison to get to Derek." Scott pointed out.

"Not if Peter's going to find Derek period." Ross snapped. "Peter's already proved he doesn't give a damn about Derek. Once he finds out Derek disobeyed his orders and saved Scott _and_ Jackson… Peter will kill him. We have to find Derek first."

"Guess there's not getting out of this one." Stiles sighed.

"No." Scott said.

"Nope." Mandie said at the same time.

"Not a chance in Hell Skilinski." Ross said, crossing her arms in a threatening way.

**xXx**

He was chained against the cages that he and his siblings would be locked in on the full moon before they'd learned to control themselves. It brought back many, surprisingly happy memories. He, Laura, and Jock would often sit in there and talk about everything before they'd lose control and then spend the next morning helping each other heal the wounds they'd caused in all the commotion.

Derek tried to concentrate on those memories instead of the psychopathic bitch currently going through his things.

"Come on Derek." Kate said, rummaging through his jacket pockets. "He killed your sister. So either you're not tell me because you want to kill him yourself or you're protecting him."

Kate pulled the license out of Derek's wallet and stared at the photo. She smirked, walking over to Derek and lifting his chin, holding the license next to him. Derek refused to open his eyes.

"Look at that sour face." She said mockingly. "I bet you always used to get people coming up to saying "smile Derek. Why don't you smile more". Don't you just want to kick those people in the face?" She turned around and began walking away.

Derek finally opened his eyes to look at Kate's back. "I can think of one." He snarled lightly.

"Promise?" Kate asked, smirking and turning back around. "Cause if I though you were gonna be that much fun… I'd let you go?"

She walked back to the table and picked up his phone. "Okay, let's see here." She said, scrolling through the contacts. "Nothing, nothing, nothing. God, I hate this detective crap."

Derek rolled his eyes. "Hey are you gonna torture me or are you just gonna talk me to death, huh?"

Kate t'sked. "So impatient." She said, looking down at the phone again. "Ross? Isn't that the name of Laura's little friend."

Derek's head snapped in his direction, his eyes filling with fury.

"Ooh, that's sweet." Kate said, mockingly. "You care about her, don't you? That's adorable Derek. Tell me, is she as tough as she talks? Or will one of my boys be able to take her out no problem?"

"If you touch her." Derek growled.

"What are you going to do, huh? You look a little tied up to me." Kate pouted her lip out with fake pity. "Does she know about you and me, Derek? Does she? Does she know about the hot, crazy sex we had before you spilled your guts and I burned your family alive?"

Derek's growl deepened.

"No." Kate shook her head, still smirking. "No, she couldn't. She'd never forgive you for that. Having sex with the enemy."

Kate was just in front of him now, her smirk widening as she bent down slightly. "Remember how this felt?" She asked, running her tongue up his torso.

Derek's fangs extended and he tried to jerk down at Kate, his face only inches from hers. Kate sighed as he glared at her through electric blue eyes.

"Tell me Derek, how would you feel if I burned her alive? I wonder how loud she'd scream."

Derek leaned back, wrapping his hands around the chains holding his wrists. Now she'd down it. Kate could threaten him all she wanted but Ross, his girl, his mate? No way in hell.

Kate turned at the sound of footsteps on the stairs and Derek took the opportunity. He used all of his strength to wrench arms free and lunged at Kate, tackling her from behind just as the door opened. Shouts erupted and he sunk his claws into Kate's arm. Her scream was so very satisfying, until the electric lines from a taser sunk into his chest and sent him onto the hard floor again.

"Son of a bitch!" He heard Kate snarl as she crawled away from him.

Another wave of electricity caused more uncontrollable twitching and, eventually, black dots to take over his vision.

**xXx**

"_Breathe. Always breathe and keep your heart rate calm when you're around a wolf, especially an Alpha. Letting them know you're scared only make them feel more powerful."_ Laura's voice echoed in Ross's head when she saw Peter Hale leaning against her black mustang as she left work.

"Hello Rosaline." Peter called.

"What do you want?" Ross snapped. "I'm not in the mood for your crap, Peter. I have bigger things to worry about."

"Where's Derek?"

"I don't know."

Ross stared into Peter's eyes, refusing to avert her gaze.

"Then you can help me find him."

Ross smirked. "No. I'm not helping you with anything. And you've already said it. You won't hurt me. You need me." Ross couldn't help the mocking tone that leaked into her voice. She was tired, she was grumpy, and she was not in the mood.

"Oh, Rosaline, I never planned on hurting you. But your human mother seems like she'd make a nice Alpha female, don't you think?"

Ross smirk vanished and she took a threatening step towards him. "Do not try to threaten, bride, or blackmail me. _Ever_! You won't like the consequences. Now get off my car and stay the hell away from my family Peter."

"You don't want to save your boyfriend?" Peter asked, but slowly stepped backwards.

"I don't need your help to do it." Ross told him, opening her door. "And remember, come near my family and I will _end you_."

With those last words she pressed down on the gas petal and flew home. Scott, Melissa, and Mandie were in the living room, watching some old movie that Ross didn't even need to watch to know it was stupid.

"Scottie." She said. "We need to talk."

Scott nodded and followed her upstairs.

"I saw Peter tonight. He's looking for Derek."

"I know." Scott replied. "I saw him today, at the store. He was stalking Allison. What are we going to do Ross?"

"I don't know yet. But keep an eye on Allison, okay? I'll have Mandie watching out for Melissa."

"What are you going to do?"

"Find Derek. I have to find him, Scott. I know that you don't understand, but I love him. I love him with everything that I have. And I refuse to leave him. I refuse to let him die."

**xXx**

"_Derek."_

Derek's eyes flickered open at the voice; Ross's voice. A sharp pain in both wrists drew his attention. Where those cuffs attached to his bones?

"Ross?" He whispered, looking towards the archway straight ahead of him.

There she stood, wearing his black leather jacket, her long brown hair straight and falling over her shoulders. _"I'm here."_

Derek almost smiled at her. "Help me get out."

"_Why would I do that?" _Ross asked, cocking her head to the side. _"You deserve this."_

Derek's heart stopped as she slowly walked up to him until she was right there, staring into his eyes. "I didn't mean for any of this to happen."

Ross shrugged. _"It still happened. You killed them, Derek. You killed all of them. Your _family_! You killed them. Your mom, your dad, Jock, Laura! It's your fault Peter's like this. You deserve this. You deserve to be alone."_

She backed up until she was just in front of the archway, that he knew led off to a different part of the basement.

"_You deserve to die. I hate you."_ And she was gone.

"Ross, please!" Derek cried. "Come back." He whispered.

He hung his head, his cheeks wet and salty. She never came back.

**A/N:** _Sorry it's short and it's been awhile, but guess who has two thumbs and got a summer job so she can save up and get a car? THIS GIRL :D.! Anyways, as always, sorry for any OC moments and I do hope you've enjoyed. R&R and I'll hopefully have another chapter up soon.!_


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:** _… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … I'm sorry, what happened Monday night? My poor Derek.! Lydia, you shall get your ass kicked in the fanfiction version of this I write. Also, Allison don't you even THINK about hurting Derek! Your mother's the dumb bisnotch who tried to kill Scott. I'm so proud of you Derek.! Also, as much as I hate to admit it… … … … … you know Peter's bad ass when he can take the Alpha powers from Derek without killing him. Soooo, I certainly hope I'm not the only one FREAKING OUT for this Monday's episode.!_

**Disclaimer::** _I don't own _Teen Wolf_, nor do I own the song _"Little Red Riding Hood"_ by Amanda Seyfried. _

_**Chapter Nine:**_

"**Hey there Little Red Riding Hood. You sure are looking good. You're everything a Big Bad Wolf could want."**

_**Ross and Laura swayed to the music in their seat on a log as Jock sang along to the tune Derek was playing on his guitar. The marshmallows, chocolate bars, gram crackers, and sticks they'd brought out to make s'mores over the campfire lay forgotten on the ground beside Ross and Laura's log.**_

"**Little Red Riding Hood. I don't think little big girls should go walking in these spooky old woods alone."**

_**Laura would pick up the occasionally harmony with Derek and would nudge Ross to do the same. The younger girl shook her head lightly, catching Derek's eye over the fire.**_

"**What big eyes you have. The kind of eyes that drive wolves mad. So just to see that you don't get chased. I think I ought to walk with you for a ways."**

_**Derek winked at her and Ross smiled shyly at him, watching a bright smile light up his face. Ross brushed her bangs out of her face and clutched her red hoodie closer to her. Actually, it was Derek's red hoodie. The name HALE and number twelve were written across the back in white and the Beacon Hills symbol across the front.**_

"**What full lips you have. They're sure to lure someone bad. So until you get to grandma's place I think you ought to walk with me and be safe."**

_**The light of the campfire shone in Derek's green eyes, the flames reflecting and dancing around in his irises. He'd turned his attention back to the strings of his guitar but Ross's attention remained on him.**_

"**Little Red Riding Hood, I'd like to hold you if I could. But you might think I'm a Big Bad Wolf so I won't."**

_**It really was too bad he was Laura's brother. Ross would have given anything to be able to gush over how hot Derek was with her best friend. But of course, they were related. Laura didn't find Derek attractive. Sure, she'd gladly listen to Ross gush about him but then she'd probably tell Derek. The older girl had been trying to get Ross and her little brother together for forever.**_

"**What a big heart I have. The better to love you with. Little Red Riding Hood, even bad wolves can be good. I'll try to keep satisfied just to walk close by your side. Maybe you'll see things my way before we get to grandma's place."**

_**Another nudge from Laura made Ross roll her eyes, but give in and sing the last few lines.**_

"**Little Red Riding Hood, you sure are looking good. You're everything that a Big Bad Wolf could want."**

_**Derek's eyes met hers again as he strummed the last chord and he smiled again, which brought out another coy smile from her.**_

"_**So, s'mores now?" Laura asked, looking at Ross. "Rooooossss?" Laura said, drawing out her name to get Ross's attention.**_

"_**What?" Ross asked, looking away from Derek.**_

_**Laura raised an eyebrow. "S'mores now?"**_

"_**Oh, yeah. Sure." Ross said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as Laura grabbed the sticks and marshmallows and tossing some to the boys before handing one to Ross.**_

'_**What was that?' She mouthed to the younger girl. 'Were you checking out my brother?'**_

'_**No!' Ross mouthed back, shooting Laura a look.**_

_**Laura grinned. 'Heart rate.'**_

_**Ross blushed, eyes wide and looked away from Laura.**_

"_**Hey, Der, switch seats with me." Laura ordered. Ross's head snapped round to glare at her best friend. "The smokes killing me."**_

"_**Then why would I want to sit there?" Derek replied, raising an eyebrow at his sister.**_

"_**Just do it." Jock groaned. "I don't want to listen to her whine."**_

"**_I do _not_ whine." Laura snapped, whacking Jock on the head as she took Derek's seat. "And your marshmallow's on fire, Ross."_**

_**Ross pulled her marshmallow out of the fire and groaned, blowing the fire out. "Well, it's official. I can't make marshmallows."**_

"_**I'll do it." Derek offered, tossing her ruined marshmallow into the woods and putting a fresh one on her stick.**_

"_**What about yours?"**_

_**Derek smiled proudly. "I'll cook that too. I'm a werewolf Ross. I'm multi-talented."**_

_**Ross giggled lightly and rolled her eyes. "You're something, Derek. You're something."**_

"_**Something good?"**_

"_**Maybe."**_

"_**Just remember who's hoodie you're wearing Rossie-girl."**_

"_**I will."**_

Someone slamming their fist on her door awoke Ross from her attempt at a nap. She groaned, upset that she'd been pulled out of such a great memory and sat up. "What!"

Scott opened the door and slid into the room. "I need you help."

"With what, exactly?"

"I need a suit and a way to sneak into the school."

Ross stared at him for a second before closing her eyes. "Why?"

"Because the formal's tonight and coach told me I couldn't go but I _have_ to go so I can keep Allison safe from Peter and I don't have a suit and I can't buy a ticket so I'll have to sneak in somehow and I need a ride there because Mom's taking her car to work and you just seemed like the right person to ask."

"Let me get this straight, you're going to sneak into a dance and let this girl distract you while there's an Alpha werewolf and werewolf hunters out to kick your little werewolf ass?"

"Yeah."

Ross smiled. "That's my boy. I'll give you a ride to the dance." She said, reaching over and grabbing her cell phone to dial Evan's number.

"_Hello?"_

"Hey, you guys gonna be here soon?"

"_Yeah, Ross. We're about twenty minutes away."_

"Excellent. Stop and get a suit. I'll text you the sizes."

Evan paused before sighing. _"And you want a suit why exactly?"_

"Just do it." Ross ordered, ending the phone and tossing the phone to Scott. "Text Evan your sizes so he can pick you up a suit."

She crossed to her desk and pulled out a piece of paper, carefully sketching out the roof of the school. She thought back to the time she, Jock and Laura had snuck in to get Derek out of the basement after one of his cousins had trapped him there with wolf's bane. Dave, Ross believed his name was.

"What are you doing?" Scott asked, leaning over his sister's shoulder.

"Shh!" Ross ordered harshly.

Scott blinked at her, taken aback by his sister's harsh reply.

"I'm sketching out the top of the school." Ross said after a moment. "There's an entrance here, here and here." She placed an 'x' over several parts of the roof. "You'll want to go in here. It's only a couple of halls away from the gym and there shouldn't be anyone in those hallways."

"How did you know that?"

"Because I'm smart like that. Anyways, what do you plan on doing if Coach Jackass sees you?"

Scott shrugged. "I'll figure it out when I get there."

"This is why you're constantly in trouble." Ross sighed. "You never think ahead."

Scott rolled his eyes and huffed, walking towards her door before pausing. "Are you doing okay?"

"Fine, why?"

Scott shrugged. "Just making sure. I'm really sorry I couldn't help Derek."

"I don't blame you Scottie. I never had. This is all Peter's fault. We'll fix this. We'll get everyone out safe who needs to get out safe."

Scott nodded as someone began knocking on the door. "Okay."

"John!" They heard Melissa cry. "It's been so long, look at you."

"Hey Melissa." A gruff voice replied.

Ross led Scott out of her room and down the stairs to where Melissa was talking with Evan and a tall man in his late twenties with short brown hair and bright blue eyes.

"Well, well, well, look at what the wolf drag in." Ross said, leaning against the doorway.

"Ross McCoy." John said with a smile. "How's the kid?"

"Not a kid." Ross replied with a smile. "John this is Scott. Scott, John."

John nodded at him than pointed at Evan. "He's got that suit you wanted."

"Thanks." Scott grinned, snatching the suit. "I'm going to go get ready. The dance is in half an hour."

"And I'm going to get ready for work." Melissa said, standing up and following Scott upstairs.

John waited until Melissa was out of earshot to turn his attention to Ross. "You alright?"

Ross nodded. "Fine." She replied. "It's Derek I'm worried about."

"We'll find him." John assured her. "Where's Mandie?"

"Keeping an eye on Stiles. We figured Allison would be fine with her parents around, but Stiles's father works all the time. We were worried Peter would target him instead."

John nodded. "Okay, any ideas on where they could be keeping Derek?"

Ross shook her head. "None."

"Does Peter know?"

"Well I don't know John." Ross snapped. "I haven't asked him. I'll get right on that, waltz up and ask him if he knows where Derek is. That oughta go over well."

"Alright, alright, calm down!" John ordered sharply.

Ross rolled her eyes, looking away. "I'm sorry. I just… I need to find him. I can feel it every time that they hurt him. And it's killing me."

John stood up and placed a hand on her shoulder. "We'll find him. Don't worry."

Ross took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay. Where do we start?"

"Oh no, not we." John pointed at himself, Evan, and Ross. "Just we." He pointed at Evan and himself. "You're staying here."

"Excuse me?"

"Listen, Ross, it's too dangerous. Evan and I are fast and we heal. Don't take this the wrong way but you're a distraction."

"I can take care of myself." Ross snarled.

"Ross, we just don't want you to get hurt during this." Evan said soothingly. "It's dangerous. We won't be too long."

"And until you get back I'm supposed to do what? Sit around and look pretty? No thanks!"

"Rosaline Rene McCoy." John snapped in a hushed tone. "Either you stay in this house or I will tie you up and lock you in the basement."

Ross glared at him. "Fine." She snarled after a minute. "But you better come back with Derek or not come back at all. Now go."

John turned on his heal and marched out the door. Evan paused to look at Ross.

"We'll be back soon, Rossie."

Ross nodded, not bothering to correct him on the use of her name.

**xXx**

"Promise me you're gonna be careful." Ross said, looking at Scott in the passenger seat.

He rolled his eyes. "I promise."

"I mean it, Scott! I'd never be able to live with myself if something happened to you."

Scott looked into his sister's eyes. "I promise." He said sincerely.

Ross nodded. "Okay. Be careful. I'll be out here if you need me."

"You're gonna stay out here the whole night?"

Ross nodded. "Yeah. Got nothing better to do."

"Okay. See you in a bit."

Ross nodded again as he stepped out of the car and moved to jump onto the roof of the school.

**xXx**

"Unfortunately Derek, if you're not going to talk, I'm going to have to kill you." She sighed, reaching over towards the electric box. "So, say hi to your sister for me." She paused suddenly, her hand hovering over the knob. "You did tell her about me, didn't you? The truth about the fire."

Derek avoided eye contact. Kate stood up and walked over to him.

"Or did you? Did you tell anybody? Your girlfriend?"

Derek glared at her and Kate smirked.

"I'll take that as a no, then. Oh sweetie." She said with mock sympathy. "That's a lot of guilt to keep buried. It's not all your fault. You got trick by a pretty face. It happens! Handsome young werewolf mistakenly falls for a hot girl who comes from a family of werewolf hunters."

Derek glared at her and Kate's smirk widened.

"Is that ironic?" She mocked. "Is it ironic that you're inadvertently helping me track down the rest of the pack? Again. Or is that just a bit of history repeating itself?"

She giggled heartlessly at Derek's pained, guilty look before turning and walking back over to the box. Her hand hovered over the knob again for a moment before she placed her hand on the top of the box, her fingers tapping in thought.

"History repeating itself?" She murmured to herself before it hit her. She spun around on heal and walked over to Derek again. "Jackson's not the second beta is he?"

Derek glared at her.

"Oh no, no, no, no. He got a scratch, not a bite. And he's not in love with Allison." Kate said, snatching her phone of the table. "Not like Scott."

"No." Derek said, a little too quickly. "It's not Scott."

Kate smirked. "You're protecting him? Why? What's he to you?"

Derek glared.

"Oh, don't tell me you've gone all big brother on him. Remember what happened to your big brother when he went all over protective on you?" Kate took a step towards her. "That's the only reason you and Laura were at school."

Derek stared at her, confused.

"Your big brother didn't like the fact that you were dating an older woman you wouldn't tell him about. So he dug around until he found out it was me. He was telling your father when I lit the place up."

Derek's confusion turned to pain and heartbreak, making Kate smile wider.

"He's the only reason you survived this long and you killed him." Kate let out a short laugh before dialing Chris's number on her phone.

**xXx**

Squealing tires woke Ross out of her stupor. She shot up and looked over to see two SUV's peeling around the corner towards the buses, one heading towards the opposite side. One of them Ross easily recognized; Argent's. She reached into her page, grabbing her crossbow and scrambling out of her car before running towards them.

Just as she was coming up behind the Argent's SUV, she saw Scott staring at them like a deer in the headlights. Both vehicles floored it. In one fluid movement, Ross shot a bolt into the back tire of Argent's SUV, causing it to squeal to a stop, then shot a bolt into the front tire of the other SUV.

Tucking away the crossbow, she snagged the dagger out of its holster on her hip and marched ran towards the Argent's SUV.

"Scott, run!" Ross ordered, throwing open the driver's door and pulling Chris Argent out, slamming him against the side with the dagger pressed to his throat. "Give me one reason not to slit your throat." She growled.

"Ross." Scott started.

"Are you deaf?" Ross snarled. "Why do you think they're here Scott? They know! They know! Leave! _Now_!"

Scott's gaze traveled back to Allison, who was staring at him with both hands over her mouth and tears coming out of her eyes.

"Scott!" Ross screamed.

With one glance back at his sister, Scott jumped over the roof of the bus and disappeared. Ross looked back at Chris, who was immobilized with the knife to his throat.

"You're making a mistake." Chris told her.

"Where's Derek?" Ross asked, in a deadly calm tone.

Chris shook his head. "I can help you if you get out know."

"I don't need help!" Ross snapped. "I need my boyfriend. I can feel it. I can feel everything that you do to him! You're torturing him and you have no right. You think you're so high and mighty with your code but you're breaking it. Derek's never hurt a human in his entire life. Not even your murderous, back-stabbing, whore of a sister. Now tell me where he is! Tell me _right now_!"

"You've made a lot of mistakes. Don't make this one."

"Every mistake that I've ever made has made me who I am today. And I am proud of who I became. If you won't tell me where Derek is, I'll find him myself. But I'd suggest your family watching their backs. Packs have a code too. Nos occidere qui occidere nos." Ross released Chris, walking backwards until she was just behind the bus. "Good luck Argent."

"Dad." Allison said, tears still streaming down her face as she stepped off the bus. "Dad what does that mean?"

Chris was silent for a moment before he finally answered. "We kill those who kill us."

**A/N:** _And there we have it, Chapter Nine is complete. I hope you guys enjoyed it. "Nos occidere qui occidere nos" is Latin for "we kill those who kill us." At least that's what Google told me. The beginning flashback was inspired by the camping trip that Tori, Alex, my boyfriend, Reese, and I took Tuesday-Thursday. It was super fun and Alex can play guitar and Reese has been the male lead in our school musical for forever so we made the boys sing to us. Reese actually sang _Little Red Riding Hood_ because he knows how much I love werewolves. He told me I was his Little Red Riding Hood :) He's super sweet! Anyways, sorry for any OOC moments and I hope you guys are ready for a good ole' Ross kicking Kate Argent's ass in the next chapter? Because I'm thinkin' that's what's gonna happen. Does that sound like a good idea to you guys? R&R :)_


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N:** _Wow, it's been too long. Sorry for the wait! But, real quick rant before we get started… who else is extremely mad about the latest episode! It was great, and they even threw in a tad bit of Sterek for us :) But Scott only joined Derek's pack because of Argent :( Not cool, Scott! And now Derek knows you betrayed him and he's gonna be pissed. And he was just learning to trust again! Ugh! And, Gerard, I hope you die a painful death! That was such a dick way to kill Matt! So, I saw the preview for the next episode and Scott's got to help Gerard kill Derek. Do you think he'll do it? Oh my God… FREAKING OUT! Anyways, now that that's over with, enjoy the second to last chapter in _The Fire Connection_. :)_

**Disclaimer::** _*gives you a Ross glare (almost as intense as the Derek glare)* … I'm not saying it again. I've said that I don't own _Teen Wolf _enough times… You'll never make me say it again!_

**Chapter_ Ten:_**

Screams erupted as Ross reached her Mustang. It took her a moment to realize that they were hers. An unimaginable pain was blossoming from her chest. She slid down beside her Mustang and held her lips together as tight as she could, her screams dying into whimpers.

They were hurting Derek again. Hurting him badly. Super fast healing or not, he was in a lot of pain. And as soon as Ross found him, the Argents were going to wish they were dead.

As the pain subsided, Ross became aware of more screams, coming from in front of the school. She cursed and pushed herself away from the car, sprinting towards the school. People were screaming and running, teachers pushing past her to rush over to Jackson who was holding a very bloody Lydia in his arms.

Coach Finstock had taken Lydia from Jackson and laid her on the ground and sirens sounded in the background. Ross made her way over to Jackson, pulling him away from the crowd.

"What happened?" She demanded over the chaos around them.

"I don't know." Jackson said, looking back at Lydia.

Ross grabbed his chin, forcing his head back around to look at her. "Don't look at her. Look at me. Tell me what happened?"

"I. Don't. Know!" Jackson snapped.

"How the hell do you not know?" Ross snarled. "You're the one who brought her back here."

"Stiles called me."

"Stiles?" Ross glanced around the crowd. "Where is he?"

"I don't know. He was gone when I showed up."

"Well what did he say?"

"To go to the lacrosse field and get Lydia. He said she was attacked."

"By who?"

Jackson stared at her nervously.

"Jackson. By. Who?"

"Peter Hale."

Ross felt herself pale. "Is Stiles with him?"

"I don't know."

The ambulance had arrive, loading Lydia into the back and peeling out of the parking lot, lights and sirens going. Jackson's eyes followed them.

"Go to the hospital and wait there for me." Ross ordered.

"Wha-"

"_Go_!"

Jackson scurried to his car and tore out of the parking lot. Waiting until after he was gone, Ross pulled out her phone and walked back around the school towards her car.

"Come on." She said to herself as the phone rang on the other end. "Pick up. Pick up. Pick up. Pick up! Damn it!" She cursed upon receiving Stiles voice mail. She pressed the end call button and dialed another number.

_Shake it for the birds _

_Shake it for the bees_

Ross stopped where she stood, looking around as Mandie's ring tone echoed around the empty area. She listen hard, following the noise, towards the lacrosse field.

_Shake it for the catfish _

_Swimming down deep in the creek_

Mandie was lying unconscious near the bleachers. She was definitely breathing, but had a nice sized bump on her head.

_For the crickets _

_And the critters _

_And the squirrels_

_Shake it the moon_

_Shake it for me girl._

Ross hung up her phone and ran towards her friend, sliding to a stop on her knees next to Mandie. She gripped the other girls shoulders and shook her hard.

"Mandie. Mandie wake up!"

Mandie groaned.

"Mandie!"

"Ross?" Mandie blinked and sat up face. "I don't remember getting hit in the head with a sledge hammer."

Ross rolled her eyes. "Mandie, where's Stiles?"

"Stiles? Oh crap!" Mandie groaned. "Ross, Peter was here. He's the sledge hammer that hit me. He must have Stiles. Oh, I'm so sorry Ross."

"It's okay." Ross assured her offering her a hand. Mandie accepted it and allowed Ross to pull her to her feet. "It's not your fault. Come on. We should get to the hospital."

"I don't need a hospital."

"Not you. Lydia Martin was attacked by Peter."

"Oh no! Stiles's date! Is she alright?"

"She's alive so far. The best we can do right now is keep an eye on her and figure out a plan."

**xXx**

"You gonna stop pacing sometimes today?" Mandie asked, her eyes following Ross and she walked back and forth in the hallway of the hospital.

Ross glared at her and pulled out her cell phone, dialing Stiles's number again. She snarled in frustration trying to crush her phone with her hand when Stiles didn't pick up. It was all she could do to keep from throwing the useless thing on the ground.

"Ross, we'll figure it out. I promise."

"Yeah, and while we sit around "figuring it out"," Ross lowered her voice so Sheriff Stilinski wouldn't hear. "The Argents are torturing my boyfriend. And Kate Argents possibly has her slutty little hands all over him."

"You're being a pessimist." Mandie sighed.

"I'm being a realist." Ross replied, finally sitting down next to her. "What are we gonna do?"

"You're gonna beat the information out of the Argent girl." Mandie said, a slight smirk in her voice.

Ross looked up and over at the window to Lydia's room. Sure enough, there was Allison Argent staring in at the window. A small smirk placed itself upon Ross's face and she quickly followed Allison when the younger girl stepped into the elevator.

Allison's breath caught in her throat when she turned to find Ross standing before her. The older brunette slammed her hand into the emergency stop button once the elevator began to move. Ross's hands gripped onto the front of Allison's shirt and Allison's back slammed against the elevator wall.

"Where is he?" Ross snarled.

The fear was clear in Allison's eyes. "I-I-I don't know what you're talking about." Allison stuttered.

"I don't have to be a wolf to know you're lying to me. Don't make me hurt you Allison. Where. Is. Derek?"

Allison whimpered under Ross's unforgiving glare. "I-I…" She trailed off.

Ross smirked devilishly and pulled her blade from its spot, hidden under her coat. "Okay, Allison, one last chance. What's it gonna be the easy way or the hard? Where is Derek?"

"The Hale House." Allison whimpered. "Beneath it. In some old cellar."

Ross replaced the knife and pushed the button to start the elevator and hit the button for the fourth floor. "Here's your stop. Get out."

Allison obeyed, tears streaming down her face and Ross turned to face her as the elevator doors began to slowly close. "Oh and for the record." Ross said. "Everything that's about to happen, all the blood, all the death, everything that's happened to Lydia… It's on your family."

Once the elevator doors opened at the ground floor, Ross pulled out her cell phone and called Mandie, speed walking out the front doors.

"I know where Derek is." She said once Mandie picked up. "Stay with Lydia and call me if anything changes. Tell your brothers to meet me at the Hale House."

"_You're going alone?"_

"I don't have time to sit around and wait for backup. I have to find Derek and Scott before Peter does."

"_You think Scott's with Derek?"_

"No. I don't think so. I hope not. I'll track him down after I find Derek. Just tell the boys to meet me, alright?"

"_Okay. Just be careful, alright?"_

"Don't worry Mandie. I'll be fine." Ross said in a soft voice as she got into her Mustang and turned the key in the ignition.

She glanced at the crossbow and quiver on her passenger seat. There were only two bolts left in the quiver. Ross sighed. There was no time for her to stop and get more. Her boys need her. She gunned it. But, if she wasn't completely loosing her mind, Ross could have sworn she heard a wolf's long howl over the squealing of her tires.

**xXx**

By the time Stiles finally got to the hospital, he was a bundle of unhappy camper nerves. Lydia Martin, who he'd been in love with since the third grade, was possibly dead and Ross's best friend Mandie, who had two older brothers who happened to be werewolves, was probably laying unconscious on the school grounds somewhere. God damned Alpha werewolf!

Stiles stared hard at the numbers over the elevator that lit up to tell what floor he was on; the third. Lydia was on the sixth. Stiles groaned. This was taking forever!

He headed straight for Lydia's room when the doors finally opened, only to be stopped by his father.

"You know what." The Sheriff said in a hushed voice. "You are lucky we are in a hospital because I am gonna kill you!"

"I'm sorry." Stiles panted. "I lost the keys to my jeep. I had to run all the way here."

"Stiles, I don't care!" His father's harsh voice stopped anything else he was going to say.

Stiles's eyes found a window that showed Lydia's room. "Is she gonna be okay?" He asked softly.

The Sheriff followed his gaze. "They don't know." His voice softened again. "Partially because they don't know what happened. "She lost a lot of blood but there's something else going on with her."

"What do you mean?"

"Doctors say it's like she's having an allergic reaction. Her body keeps going into shock."

Stiles closed his eyes and looked down at the floor. His father's gaze followed him suspiciously.

"Did you see anything?" The Sheriff asked. "Do you have any idea who or what attacked her?"

Stiles looked up at his father. _Yeah, I know. A crazy, homicidal werewolf who's going to slowly kill off Allison's family after he finds his kidnapped and tortured nephew._ "No." Stiles lied, the familiar feeling of guilt bubbling up in his stomach. He hated lying to his father like this. "No, I have no idea."

The Sheriff sighed slightly. "What about Scott?"

"What do you mean? What about him?"

"Did he see anything?"

Stiles looked up at him alarmed. "Wha- Is he not here?"

"What are you talking about? I thought he was with you. I've been calling him on his cell phone and I've gotten no response."

Stiles's eyes found Jackson, who was standing outside the window to Lydia's room and looking at them confused. _I don't know. _The jock mouthed.

Stiles thought, he remembered. Scott had lost his cell phone. Derek had Scott's cell phone.

"Yeah and you're not gonna get one." Stiles said angrily to himself.

Scott wasn't here. Scott was in trouble. Stiles turned away from his father, frustrated, only to lock eyes with Mandie. He breathed a sigh of relief. At least she was alright. She was staring seriously at him, a small butterfly bandage on her forehead.

_The Argents know._ Mandie mouthed.

The Argents know? Stiles cocked his head to the side. Mandie rolled her eyes and pointed to her forehead. Stiles drew his eyebrows together. The Argents know? … The Argents know! Oh, Scott was in so much trouble.

**xXx**

Ross brushed her bangs out of her eyes and continued to make her way to the Hale House, pushing a low tree branch out of the way. Of course she would pick the thickest part of the woods to come in on. Why wouldn't she? Well, wasn't that just her luck.

"Everything I said… Everything that I did." Ross's head snapped up. That was Scott's voice. Pulling her knife out of her holster and moved as silently as possible.

"Was to protect me." Allison's snide voice came.

Ross inhaled sharply. If Allison was in the woods with Scott, Kate was in the woods with Scott.

"Yes."

Ross came upon the scene just as her brother spoke. She pressed herself against a tree and looked around closely. Scott was on the ground, leaning up on his elbows while Allison stood over Scott with a bow and arrow in her hands. Kate was slowly making her way over. But there was one more person there, lying on the ground on their back panting heavily. Ross caught the reflection of the half moon on a black leather jacket. Derek!

"I don't believe you." Allison said, shaking her head.

"Thank God." Kate drawled boredly. "Now shoot him before I shoot myself."

Well that was it; Ross slowly began making her way closer to the scene.

"I thought you said we were just going to catch them." Allison said.

_Stupid, stupid, naïve little girl. _Ross thought, her knife clenched tightly in her hand. She was almost there.

Kate rolled her eyes and raised her gun so it was level with Derek's head. "We caught them. Now we're going to kill them."

She pulled the trigger and Derek grunted in pain as the bullet grazed his cheek. Kate let out a yelp of surprise as she was tackled to the side and she and her attacker rolled several feet. The both landed in a kneeling position across from each other.

"Ross!" Scott cried in surprise, but Ross could hear the smile in his voice.

"You again." Kate sighed.

"You didn't really think I was going to let you touch my boys did you?" Ross replied, standing up slowly and straightening her – Derek's – leather jacket. "I think you've gotten enough innocent people killed Kate."

Kate laughed humorlessly, also getting to her feet and holding up her arm so the gun was pointed directly at Ross's chest. She shook her head at Ross. "You think I caused your friend's death. And you hate me for that." Kate said, smiling in a way that told Ross she thought she was superior.

It was Ross's turn to shake her head. Kate didn't understand. Yes, in a way Kate did cause Laura's death and Ross hated her for that. She hated her for killing the Hale family for no reason. But there was another reason for Ross to hate her. A stronger reason.

"I think that you love that you twisted Derek and broke him so fully and completely." Ross said, fighting back tears and a breaking voice. Derek's eyes bore into her back. "And I hate you for that. I hate you for that so much. For taking away that part of him. But that doesn't mean for a second that I don't love him. And I'm not going to let you do anything else to him. So let me make this very clear." Ross took a step towards Kate, so that the gun barrel was inches for her chest. "Keep your slutty, murderous hands _off my boyfriend_!"

Before Kate could say another word, Ross twisted the gun out of Kate's hand and kicked her hand in the side. Kate fell to the ground, breathless and Ross turned the gun on Allison.

"Get the _hell_ away from little brother." She ordered.

Allison dropped her weapon, clearly terrified and stepped away from Scott. Ross barely heard Kate move, ducking just in time to send the older woman toppling over her. Ross pulled the clip out of the gun and sent it flying as far as she could before tossing the useless weapon in the opposite direction. She'd been waiting a long, long time for this.

As soon as Kate got up, Ross swung at her and felt satisfaction fill her as her knuckles connected hard with Kate's nose. A wet liquid trickled onto Ross's hand as Kate made a move to kick her, but Ross caught the foot with her hand, pushing Kate away from her.

Regaining her footing, Kate tackled Ross to the ground and Ross brought her arm up as Kate landed on top of her, making to punch her in the face. She swung her leg around, successfully kicking Kate off of her but Kate finally managed to land a hard backhand across Ross's face.

Ross tasted the blood as her front canine tooth split her lip open, but ignored it as she punched Kate's cheek. Eventually, though she wasn't sure how, Ross ended up on top of Kate punching the woman repeatedly. Kate kicked her off, sending her flying several feet away. The two had just gotten to their feet again with a gunshot rang out.

Chris Argent had his gun pointed straight in the air. Ross glared hard at him and her eyes found Derek, who was still on the ground wounded. She immediately placed herself in front of him, wiping away the small trail of blood trickling down her chin.

"That's enough Kate." Chris said evenly, though his eyes never left Ross.

"Enough Kate?" The younger Argent said angrily. "She started."

"Not to go all school yard on you." Ross snapped. "But you tried to kill my boyfriend first."

Kate snarled, taking a step but Chris turned his gun on her. "Don't even think about it."

"What are you doing?" Kate demanded.

"I know what you did Kate." Chris said lowly. "There were human children in that house. We go by the code. Nous chassons ceux qui nous chasser."

"We kill those who kill us." Allison muttered.

"Didn't know about that when you signed up for Aunt Kate's murder camp, did ya sweetheart?" Ross asked dryly, looking at Allison.

She looked like Ross had just run over her favorite cat. But Ross couldn't find it in herself to feel sorry for Allison. She should have figured out what she was signing up for before she sighed up.

The rest of the conversation was cut short when Derek growled lowly, forcing himself to his feet. Ross turned to look at him. He was standing behind her, back facing her, his body positioned as though he was protecting her from something. The door to the Hale House creaked open.

"Allison, get back!" Chris ordered, turning to face the house.

"What is it?" Allison asked.

"The Alpha." Scott said, his eyes glowing amber.

Ross didn't even see him coming. Next thing she knew, Derek was flying into a nearby tree and she was lying on the ground. Looking up at the porch, she saw Peter dragging Kate into the house. _Revenge is sweet_. She thought, not about to stop it. If a rogue wolf needed to be put down then so did a rogue hunter.

"No!" Allison's voice echoed around as she took off into the house after Peter and Kate.

"Allison!" Ross cried, forcing herself to her feet to chase after the teen.

Sure she didn't care for Allison, but the teen was still an innocent. Ross wasn't going to sit back and let an innocent die.

Peter had dragged Kate into the living room, standing with his hand to her throat. Allison had stopped in front of them, tears filling her eyes.

"If you apologize for killing my family, I will spare her." Peter hissed in Kate's ear.

"I'm sorry." Kate whispered.

Peter t'sked and with one swift motion, tore her throat out. "I don't think that sounded very sincere." He said, walking towards Allison.

Ross immediately put herself between them, glaring hard at Peter as he stopped in front of her.

"What are you doing?" Peter asked boredly.

"I'm not going to let you kill an innocent Peter."

"Her family's killed innocents."

"So you'll sink to their level? You'll become Kate?"

Peter snarled, but Ross refused to let herself flinch. "Get out of the way."

"No. You don't scare me Peter. You've already said it. You need me. You _won't _kill me." Ross stood as straight as she could. "And I won't let you kill her."

Peter's snarled turned into a vicious roar and he raised his clawed hand to strike her, but he didn't get the chance. Derek barreled into him at the last second, sending the Alpha and Beta tumbling away.

"Run!" Scott ordered as he appeared, wolfed out and ready to fight.

Ross turned on her heel, grabbing Allison's arm and pulling her out of the house. From behind them, one of the walls was shattered like glass. By what, Ross choose not to find out as she dragged Allison out.

"Will he be okay?" Allison asked as they rushed down the front steps.

_She has to be talking about Scott._ Ross decided, because who else would she be talking about. Not Derek. Not Peter.

"He's got claws and fangs." Ross replied, pushing Allison towards her father.

Not a second too soon. The wall from behind them exploded as Scott rolled out, followed by Peter who was completely wolfed out. He turned his anger red eyes to the Argents, who Ross just happened to be standing in front of.

"Oh crap." Ross said, reaching for her crossbow.

But it was gone. When in God's name had that happened? Must've been when Peter attacked. Ross's thoughts were jumbled as the Alpha stood on his hide legs and let out an awful roar. Peter lunged and Derek wasn't there to save her this time as the large Alpha threw her to the ground, its huge canines inches from her nose.

Ross almost gagged, his breath smelled worse than any dog breath she'd ever smelled. He really was hideous. Her fingertips barely grazed the hilt of the dagger in her thigh holster. She tried to lean down slightly to grab it but Peter's claws sunk into her shoulder and she bit back a whimper, crinkling her nose as he breathed on her again. Maybe he was going to suffocate her with his breath.

"Dude." A voice called from the side. "You need a tic-tac."

And then Peter was gone. Ross sat herself up and clutched onto her bleeding shoulder, looking around to find Peter engaged in combat with none other than John, who was skillfully dodge each of Peter's attacks.

"You alright Rossie?"

Ross sucked in a deep breath, closing her eyes to calm her heart rate. "Evan, call me Rossie one more time…" She purposely trailed off, leaving what she would do to him up to his imagination.

Tires squealed as a Porsche came peeling around the corner and Stiles climbed out of the driver's seat, clutching some sort of veil in his hand. Jackson stepped out of the passenger seat, also clutching a veil with the same copperish liquid swirling around in it that Stiles had been holding.

"Did we miss it?" He asked, sounding slightly disappointed.

Ross rolled her eyes and had just opened her mouth to tell Stiles to "shut the loving hell up" when John flew past them, into a nearby tree. Peter was back in front of them, roaring.

"Guess not." Stiles said as Peter turned his attention back towards the Argents.

Evan tensed beside her, clearly ready to fight, just as Stiles threw the veil… Right into Peter's hand.

"Ooooh crap." Stiles murmured.

The Alpha stared down at the bottle, giving Ross enough time. Allison's bow and arrow was lying not five feet from her. She rolled herself to the side and grabbed the bow, pulling the arrow back. Just as Peter met Ross's eyes, she released the arrow. It sailed through the air, striking the veil.

Peter's arm lit on fire and the Alpha let out an awful roar. He began waving his arm, trying to get rid of the fire, and Jackson threw his veil against the Alpha's back. And then Peter's entire body went up in flames.

Ironic, that the very thing that had turned him into the monster that stood before them would kill him. Peter fell, now in his human form, his body completely pealing and blistered. Ross turned away, she couldn't even look at him. She turned her head just in time to see Allison kiss Scott.

Anger immediately began boiling in Ross's chest. How dare she! She'd helped her Aunt hunt Scott and Derek down and now she had the nerve to kiss Scott. Ross clambered to her feet, ready to pull them apart and give Allison a good old fashion McCoy ass kicking when a gurgling sound stopped her.

Peter was alive and Derek was looming over him. Derek was going to kill him.

"Derek, wait!" Scott cried. "If you do this my chance at the cure is gone. If you do this I'm dead."

Cure? What the hell was Scott on about? Lycanthropy wasn't a disease. There was no cure for it. Killing an alpha simply made you an alpha.

"You've already made up your mind." Peter said. Ross knew he was right. Derek was going to kill Peter for everything he'd done. Peter had killed Laura. He'd killed Derek's sister. The one person in the world that had meant everything to Derek, his last piece of family.

Derek was going to slit Peter's throat and Ross wasn't going to stop him.

"I can smell it on you." Peter snarled.

And then he was choking on his own blood as Derek swiped his claws across his throat. All eyes were on Derek as he stood, the new Alpha of Beacon Hills. His eyes met Scott's and Ross saw them turn a deep shade of red.

"I'm the Alpha now." Derek told Scott. Not snidely, not sarcastically, not evilly. He just told him, plain and simple.

Scott opened his mouth but didn't get a chance to speak. Ross had crossed the distance between her and Peter, placing herself in front of her boyfriend. And then she slapped him, as hard as she could.

Derek blinked in surprise, in disbelief. "What was that for?"

"For choosing Peter." Ross told him, throwing her fist against his chest. "You idiot!" She cried, hitting his chest again. "You mother loving idiot! How could you think that I could _ever_ _live_ without you." Ross's voice broke as Derek's strong arms embraced her.

She let herself fall against his chest, sobbing. His chin rested on her head and her hands balled into fist, clutching his shirt in a white knuckled grip. Derek gently rubbed his hand up and down her back, nuzzling his cheek against her hair.

"I'm sorry." He whispered.

"I don't want you to be sorry." Ross told him. "I just want you."

"You got me." No three simple words had ever made her feel so good. "I love you."

…Well, except those.

"I love you too."

_**A/N:**_ _There you go. After the long wait, that's chapter ten. I have one more chapter left in this fic and then I'll start my fic for Season two. Sound good? :) Did you guys enjoy seeing Ross beat up Kate? I hope so because I sure as Hell enjoyed seeing it in my head as I wrote it. Also, I realized you guys really don't have quite an idea of what Ross looks like so here (Sorry again for making you wait so long, but I got the greatest idea for a one-shot for Ross and Derek. What do you guys think, should I post it? Let me know. The last chapter shouldn't take as long to write so hopefully it will be up super soon. I hope you guys have enjoyed this chapter. R&R :)_


	11. Chapter 11

_**A/N: **Beep… Beep… Beep… Beep.. Beep.. Beep, beep. Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, BEEP! - that was me having a heart attack over last night's episode! I was watching it with my hands over my mouth. Firstly, I'd just started to like Erica and she ditched out on Derek… NOT COOL! Speaking of Derek… WHAT THE HELL IS HE THINKING TRUSTING PETER!? Oh a happy note, I really, really, really fell in love with Isaac this episode. I literally cried when I thought he was going to die. And Allison, I hope you die because you're really pissing me off! Oooh, just you wait until I get to this part in the sequel to this story. Your ass will be kicked SO HARD! And where the HELL is Stiles? I'm so worried about him. Oh, God, I've got to stop rambling. I have to, because if I don't this entire chapter will be me freaking out about the SEASON FINALE next Monday. Ugh, okay, I'm stopping._

_But a quick warning before we start. This chapter's kind of like a cool down, what happened after Peter died. Why exactly did the police decide to stop chasing Derek? How did Scott not hate Derek overly for taking away "the cure"? This is that chapter. So, now, Ladies and Gentlemen… The conclusion to _The Fire Connection_. _

_**Chapter Eleven::**_

"I am sorry, you know." Derek murmured into Ross's ear as they sat on the hood of his car, far away from the Hale House.

"Rule number four, rule number five, and rule number sixteen." Ross sighed, leaning heavily against him.

She honestly didn't care anymore. What had happened, happened and now all they had to do was wait for Evan and John to show up. Apparently they had some miraculous plan that was going to throw all suspicion off of Derek. That made Ross excited, though she didn't show it much. Then she'd be able to use him as a big, comfy Alpha pillow and not worry about Melissa showing up.

"Never apologize-" Derek stated, making sure he had all the rules right.

"It's a sign of weakness." Ross added with a smirk.

Derek gave a light chuckle. "Better to seek forgiveness than ask permission." He paused. "Don't those two kind of contradict."

Ross shrugged. "They're both true."

Derek rolled his eyes and sighed. "Rule number sixteen. Sixteen, sixteen… What's sixteen?"

"You do what you have to for those you care about." Ross replied softly. "Even when's it's wrong."

"It's a good rule." Derek whispered.

"I like it."

"How many rules do you have?"

"A lot. Everyone needs a code they can live by. They don't all have to be fancy, eerie Latin ones."

"It's not that eerie."

Ross pulled away so he could see her look of disbelief. "Not eerie? 'We kill those you kill us'… You don't think that's eerie? Not even a little bit?"

"Nah, it's more spine-chilling."

Ross laughed, snuggling into him again. "It's the same thing, you goof-ball."

Derek shrugged, sighing and resting his chin on her head. They sat like that for a while, until a rustling from some distance away reached Derek's ear. He sat up straighter, making Ross look at him, and inhaled sharply. John and Evan's scents. He relaxed.

"Hey." Evan said, practically waltzing into the clearing.

"Hey." Ross replied, raising an eyebrow at his cheerful demeanor. "What are you so happy about?"

"We get to beat up Derek." Evan replied with a childish tone and grin.

"Excuse me." Ross said, sitting up straight and looking straight at John.

The older Knight rolled his eyes. "Chill, he's already agreed to it."

"He's what?" Ross asked, turning her attention to Derek.

Derek huffed. "Don't worry. It'll be fine. Head home."

"You're kidding me right?"

"It'll be fine." Evan assured her.

"Rule number forty." Ross said, in a deadpan voice.

"Rule number what?" Evan questioned.

"Thought you only had up to rule number thirty-nine." John said with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh this one's new. Rule number forty… Never trust John and Evan when they say they have a really good plan." Ross replied.

"Ouch." Evan muttered.

"I'll be fine." Derek replied. "I'm the Alpha."

"I don't care. This isn't a good idea."

"Rule number fourteen."

Ross's mouth fell open. "You can't use my rules against me."

"What's number fourteen?" John asked.

"Sometimes a bad idea is the best idea." Evan replied quickly.

"I can and I am." Derek said. "Besides, I need you to do me a favor. I need you to um… to break rule four for me and tell Scott I'm sorry."

"Are you serious?" Ross asked. "Derek, that's like pulling the pin on a hand grenade. He's pissed. You lied to him about that cure."

"Rule number ten."

"Derek!"

"Please."

Ross groaned, rolling her eyes melodramatically. "Fine! But if he's not in one piece next time I see him." Ross paused, for dramatic effect as she look at the Knight siblings. "I'm gonna kill both of you."

**xXx**

"Scott!" Ross called, closing the door behind her. "Scotty, we need to talk."

Scott didn't reply and Ross sighed, climbing the stairs to his room. She paused outside the door to take a deep breath before knocking on the door.

"Scott, come on. Please."

Scott opened the door, the glare he'd worn all night still placed firmly on his face. Ross met his gaze before pushing past him into the room and sitting on his bed.

"I need you to listen to me."

"Why should I?" Scott snapped, turning on his heels. "Do you know what he took from me? Why should I forgive him? How can you forgive him?"

"Because I understood Scott. Peter was his family." Ross cried "Derek just wanted that one little part. What would you give to have Dad back? Back with you? With Melissa? Back to the way he was before they started fighting. Before I showed up. What would you give Scott?"

Scott didn't reply. He didn't even look at her, choosing to look at the ground instead.

"Everything!" Ross shouted, her voice full of tears. "Anything! Even if you knew it was wrong! Because he's family and some part of you still loves him. Some part of you still wants to protect him, to bring him back, to help him. I feel that way Scott. I feel that way a lot. I would give anything to have my mom back. _Anything_!"

Scott stared at her. Ross could see him thinking, slowly understanding.

"Don't judge someone until you've walked a mile in their shoes, Scott. Derek's not like you. His mother, his father, his big brother, Laura? They're all dead. He didn't have a stitch of family left and some part of him thought that maybe, maybe he could change Peter. Maybe he could save him. But when he knew he couldn't, he did the right thing. He killed Peter. He saved me. That should count Scott. That should count for a lot."

"He took the cure." Scott suddenly snapped, trying to make himself angry at Derek again.

"Scott." Ross's voice squeaked, so close to breaking, as she rolled her eyes. "Lycanthrope is _not_ a disease. There is _no_ cure."

"Derek told me that there was a cure."

"Derek believed in a myth that _wasn't _real!"

"Did he know that? When he killed Peter, did he know that?"

"I'd imagine."

"So why didn't he tell me?"

"Would you have believed him if he did? Cause I doubt you would have. I know you Scott, you would've said that it was just because he wanted his vengeance."

"Then he should've figured that out before he told me!"

"Rule number ten Scott!" Ross cried. "_Never_ believe what you're told. _Double check_!"

"He still could've let me have the kill."

"You're kidding, right?"

"No! Peter took away my-"

"Peter took away his sister. What would you've done if it was me that Peter had killed? Me instead of Laura. Would you really be willing to hand over the kill, just like that?"

Scott didn't respond and Ross knew she'd hit the nail on the head.

"He did save you, you know." Ross continued. "If it wasn't for Derek, you'd be the Alpha. You'd have all these unwanted responsibilities. You'd have the weight of the world on your shoulders. And that sucks, Scott. Trust me, I've seen what that can do. Laura wasn't the same person. She wasn't as giggle and happy-go-lucky. She lost that part of herself because she had to become Alpha. Peter went insane. God only knows what's gonna happen to Derek." Ross said, shaking her head. "So maybe, instead of being pissed you should let it go. Because he's sorry Scott. He is."

Scott looked at Ross as tears streamed down her face. He slowly nodded, sucking in a deep breath. "Okay." He said gently. "I think I understand."

Ross gave him a half hearted smile, standing and pulling him into a hug. "Good. Thank you."

Scott hugged her back and Ross felt the weight disappear from her shoulders. Unfortunately, she also felt a large jolt of pain that shot through her chest. She couldn't stop the cry of pain that escaped and Scott immediately helped her sink to the ground.

"What?" He asked, panicked. "What is it?"

"I'm gonna kill 'em."

"Who?"

"John and Evan!" Ross shouted, clutching her chest as a fresh wave of pain shot through her. "God! They are such… I don't even know what word to use!"

It wasn't too long after the pain passed that Ross's cell phone began to go off. She answered it on the first ring. "What?"

"_Ross? Honey, is something wrong?"_

Ross sighed. "Hey, Melissa no. Sorry, it's- it's been a long night."

"_It's about to get longer. They just brought Derek Hale in."_

"They what?"

"_It's a long story, Ross. But he's been asking for you and Sheriff Stilinski would like you to come to the hospital."_

"Asking for me? How long has he been there?"

"_Not long. They gave him medication to knock him out. They said he looked like he was in a lot of pain.. But the EMT's said he's been crying out your name in his sleep."_

"I'm on my way."

**xXx**

The first thing Ross did after Melissa and the Sheriff left the waiting room was slap Evan as hard as she possible could across the face.

"Ouch!" He cried, thought Ross knew very well it didn't hurt him at all. "What was that for?"

"What the hell did you do to my boyfriend?" She demanded as John sauntered into the room.

"He's fine." John assured her.

"Okay, you know what. You two have ten seconds to explain this glorious little plan of yours before I flip my lid." Ross said through gritted teeth.

"We're blaming it all on Peter."

"You're what."

"Okay, Peter's nurse is dead, Peter's gone." John explained. "So, we figured, we'd rough Derek up a bit-"

"A bit? A bit!" Ross fought to keep her voice down. "They brought him to the loving hospital! What are you going to do when he heals?"

"He won't." Evan said simply.

"What do you mean 'he won't'?" Ross asked, her voice and heart rate spiking.

"Ev, shut up!" John ordered. "Ross, he'll be fine. He gave him an herb that slows down the healing process. He'll be completely healed in a few days."

Ross rolled her eyes and sat down in a nearby chair. "Okay." She said, looking up at them. "You rough him up and make it look like Peter did it. You convince them that he killed all those people, which he did. How does this explain Scott and Stiles's lie about seeing him at the school?"

John gave her a slight smiling. "Derek had a knight-in-shining armor complex when he was younger, remember?"

"Of course I remember. Jock used to say I gave it to him."

"Well, he went to the hospital to visit Peter and he overheard Peter and Jennifer talking. He followed Peter to confront him about pretending to be comatose and found out he killed all those people. So then he tried to stop Peter from killing Scott and others and that's why they saw him at the school."

"That…" Ross nodded her head, slightly impressed. "That might actually work. What are you to doing here, by the way?"

"You called Mandie and she called us because we were closer."

Ross nodded. "You've thought of everything."

"We're awesome like that." Evan said, grinning.

"Shut up." Ross and John sighed together.

"Ross." Ross looked over at Melissa as she beckoned her stepdaughter over. "Derek's awake. Sheriff Stilinski just got done talking to him. You can see him."

"Thank you." Ross said, her voice nearly breaking as she looked up at the sky as if she was talking to God.

"Come on." Melissa said, quickly turning her attention to John and Evan as they made to follow. "You boys will have to stay. Sorry, but technically speaking only family's allowed."

John smiled and nodded. "It's fine Melissa."

For a second, Ross forgot that Derek was a werewolf. He was lying on the narrow hospital bed, a blanket covering his legs and waist and a white, poka dot hospital gown. His wrist was wrapped in a white ace bandage, he had a large bandage on his cheek, stitches on his upper arm, and bruises scattered all over his body. He looked so vulnerable, so human.

Melissa waited until Ross had taken the seat next to Derek's bed to close the door.

"Hey." He said softly.

"Hey." She replied. "How'd it go?"

"Bought it like it was on sale."

Ross smiled and leaned over to kiss his lips. "You are such a jerk."

Derek shrugged.

"I'm gonna kill them."

The smirk that Ross (with the help of Stiles) had dubbed "The Derek Smirk" crossed his lips. "No, you're not."

"I can't believe you even did this."

"Better than spending the rest of my life running from the cops."

Ross rested her head on his chest. "I should be so mad at you."

"I'm sorry."

"Rule number four."

"Rule number five."

Ross sat up and glared at him. "You can't use my own rules against me."

"We've already been over this. Did you talk to Scott?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I did. And he no longer hates your guts, so you're welcome."

Derek sighed and closed his eyes, leaning against his pillow. Ross brought her legs up beside her in the uncomfortable, plastic chair. She placed her elbow on the chair of the chair and rested her cheek on her hand.

"So what do we do now?" She asked gently.

"We figure it out along the way."

_**A/N:** And that is the end! I hope you've enjoyed this because I've really enjoyed writing it! I'm going to work on the name-less sequel. Want to help name it? Check out my profile for the poll and pick your favorite title. Think you have a better one, please PM me! Thanks for being such great fans, I loved all the positive feedback. So this is me and Ross saying see ya until the sequel… Oh, wait, that's not true. Check out the one-shot I've posted… "Everyday Superhero" if you want some Ross/Derek fluffiness :) See you guys later!_


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